Eternal Love Part 4: Chosen
by LadyPhoenix99
Summary: AU: Yami tries to recover his memories and unknowingly becomes the pawn in a game that could destroy the world... Rated M for violence, language, and some mature content...
1. Stolen Gods

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything related to it what-so-ever. The only characters in this fic that are truly mine are:**

**Lady Aurora Phoenix (Hart), Lady Natara Fear (Cooper), Lady Sapphira Star (Raine), Dorian "Chaos" (Stanson), Bryant "Havoc" (Westbrook), Sanura, Zahara, Adais, Shadow, Panther, Lord Theron (yup… they're back… and all the characters beginning with Lady Aurora Phoenix are copyrighted to me)**

**A/N: I understand many will not agree with a lot of what is written but that is why this is in the fantasy genre and not in just the general one. This is purely a concoction out of my own head and I am just going where the ideas lead me. **

**_As warned, this version of Doma is going to be different. The same duels and characters and events, yes, but a lot of changes, Partnerships, twists and turns… I tell you this upfront so you know. OC's will have more free range in here, things will happen that most likely would not have happened in the real story… Some parts will have add-ons, and others will be completely created right from the start. Hopefully you will like what you read. But if not, I don't expect flames as you have been warned that this will be completely different from what we all saw in Doma. That being said, please read and enjoy!

* * *

_**

**Chapter 1 **

**Stolen Gods **

"Aurora, put that down a minute and come over here!" Aurora Hart looked up from the table she was moving to see her dark-haired friend, Dorian Stanson, waving at her from the hall leading to her office. The Moonlight Dance Club was scheduled to open early for the kids getting out of high school. It was the grand reopening since it was closed down for renovations not long after the Battle City Finals.

"Can't it wait, Dorian? We only have like two more hours before we have to open and the tables and chairs need to get back in order."

"Depends…" She arched an eyebrow.

"On what?"

"On how you feel about a city that sank into the depths of the ocean about ten thousand years ago." She blinked and moved a chair out of her way to meet him. The others had all gathered in her office, all tuned into the news broadcast.

"Renowned scientist, Arthur Hawkins has uncovered evidence of a ten thousand year old lost civilization at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be the remains of the legendary and mythical Lost City of Atlantis. To this day, no one has ever known for certain if this city has ever existed. If he had, then what happened to it ten thousand years ago? Will whatever happened to it, happen to us?" Dorian turned off the TV and turned back to glance at Aurora.

"So what do you think?"

"I think there is a world of trouble about ready to take place. If that really is Atlantis…"

"It's possible that Atlantis came into contact with Lord Theron's Leviathan." Sapphira Star narrowed her eyes in thought. "It would make sense after all the research I have been able to go through. It is hard to really find anything about the lost city that is fact, though."

"Then, I think we need to pay a visit to Mr. Hawkins and find out what he knows," Aurora told her. Sapphira nodded and stood to take her leave.

"I'll see if I can schedule a meeting with him."

"Good, let me know what you find out."

* * *

"Mr. Dartz, sir, there is a gentleman here to see you."

"Show him in." Dartz brush his finers through his aquamarine hair before bundling it together and tying it up with a hair band. He looked out the window to his office as the door opened and footsteps crossed his threshold. He narrowed his eyes and stood to face his visitor.

"Mr. Dartz, I presume."

"Now, that depends on who is asking." The white-haired man stopped walking when he reached the desk and chuckled.

"Cautious; I admire that in a potential partner." Dartz raised an eyebrow at the stranger.

"You should know, now, that I don't partner with anyone, on anything."

"Is that so? My friend, I do think I can change your mind." A dark look entered Dartz's blue and gold eyes. The stranger caught a slight flash of red. "There is something you are missing. Something I have. Something you will need." The storm in the man's eyes eased and he gave his stranger a searching look.

"How do you know what I need? Who are you?" The stranger smirked and tossed his long, white hair back over his shoulder.

"I, good sir, am known simply as Lord Theron of the former planet Eudora."

"This should impress me why?"

"I am the original controller of the great beast you intend to ressurect." Lord Theron paused to add dramatic effect as Dartz stood silent. The stranger in his office circled the desk and came up behind him. He leaned close to whisper in his ear. "The great Leviathan." Dartz pulled away with a glare.

"What do you know of Leviathan?"

"I know the great beast is not of your world. I know it entered your world during your reign of Atlantis ten thousand years ago. With it's power you intended to rule your city to perfection. Things and people not perfect were changed by it's power. Their true forms revealed. Those who opposed you were sealed away using the power of the Orichalcos to later feed the Leviathan and give it strength. How'm I doing so far?" Dartz gave him a closer look.

"How do you know all this?"

"I told you, I am the one who created the Leviathan. I originally planned to take it back on my own, but you see, you have access to him. But you can't begin the transfer needed without what I have."

"What do you have?" Dartz blinked when Lord Theron reached into the pocket of his long duster jacket and revealed a glowing crystal. Dartz took a step toward him and Theron pulled the crystal out of view again.

"Ah, ah, ah, I don't think so. I showed you what I had to help awaken the powers needed to fuel the spell you will be using to awaken the hidden power and revive Leviathan. You don't taste that power unless we have an agreement." Dartz thought carefully over his words.

"What is it to you? I know what I want, but what is in it for you?"

"There is a small group of people out there who may have the potential power to stop you and me. I want to help you use that power to destroy them first. Then this pathetic world is yours."

"How do I know you aren't trying to play me for a fool?"

"Wise man, you are to doubt my words." Lord Theron reached into the hidden pocket in his long suit duster and produced a small set of papers. "That is why I had my associates draw up this contract. Just something simple two business men can agree on. You get what you want, and I get the destruction of my enemies. Plain and simple."

"It sounds too plain if you ask me," Dartz commented as he took the papers from Lord Theron and sat down to read them. Lord Theron patiently took a seat on the other side of the desk. A few moments passed in silence before Dartz looked up at him.

"It's satisfactory to you?"

"I must say that it is." He reached for a pen and signed in the appropriate spaces before going to his photocopying machine. A copy of the contract was made and handed back to Lord Theron.

"Now, then, we can begin to bring the creature the life it deserves. The life it needs." Dartz pressed a hidden button to reveal asecret room. Lord Theron followed behind him in silence until they reached what seemed to be an underground cavern specially made for rituals. The carvings were all to familiar to him. A small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered the chaos he had once been able to create with the great Leviathan. Chaos he was ready to create again.

Lord Theron watched as Dartz donned a long silver cloak and bowed his head before the massive carving in front of them. The ritual was beginning. Softly at first, Dartz began to speak in a language unfamiliar to Lord Theron. He paused only a moment to hold out his hand for the crystal that had been stolen from Aurora during the Battle City Finals. Cautiously, Lord Theron stepped passed him and placed the crystal in a small stand near what could have only been described as the carving of a mouth. He knew the crystal was not large enough to give all the power needed to raise the great beast, but it would be enough to awaken the weaker power long enough to gain access to an even greater source.

The crystal in place, Lord Theron stepped back beside Dartz and together, using the native tongue of each of their own kind, they began to chant the spell of awakening; matching pendants about their necks taking on an eerie and enigmatic green glow.

* * *

Adais finished up the last of his paperwork and began to take one last sweep around the museum to make sure everything was in order. He knew it would not be long before he would have to return to Egypt with Ishizu and Marik to help get things back in order with the ehibit they were preparing for his father's tomb. He stopped momentarily when he noticed a tri-colored head making it's way to the back where the Pharaoh's tablet had been displayed. Turning completely around, he recognized Yugi's friends Téa, Joey, and Tristan following along behind him. Curiousity got the better of him and quietly he followed.

"Now, I may be statin' the obvious here, but dat looks a lot like Yugi," Joey commented as they stopped in front of the carefully lighted tablet.

"'Tablet of the Pharaoh,'" Tristan read. As Adais drew closer, he realized that it was not his son standing before the tablet, but Yami. The spirit started up at the tablet a moment before making his own comment.

"Yes, that Pharaoh, is me."

"Okay, now wait a minute, this part always confuses the hell outta me," Joey stopped him, but Yami was obviously no longer listening. Quietly, he pulled three cards from his duel case and looked down at them.

"Ready to put the Egyptian gods to work for you, Pharaoh?" Yami turned and glanced over at Adais as he decided to make his appearance known.

"I think so. It seems they are calling out to me. Telling me to use their power to find the answers I seek." Adais frowned as he thought over the spirit's words. Something about what Yami was telling him did not make a great deal of sense. Not knowing enough to contradict the spirit, however, he kept silent. He watched as Yami nodded once before turning the cards so the monsters faced the tablet. A golden light appeared from the cards, matching the bright light shining down from the Eye of Horus on the tablet.

"Do you see what I see?" Joey asked.

"What's going on?" Téa's eyes were glued to the bright and blinding light before them. Adais' eyes narrowed as the glass keeping the tablet protected began to freeze in a case of green ice. The golden glow faded and Yami gasped as black flashes of light began to stream from the cards in his hand. Desperately, he tried to reach through the obvious pain in his arm to pull the cards free, or just attempt to fend off the pain of the unknown attack.

"Yugi, what's going on?" Tristan asked, stepping closer.

"I - I don't know," Yami growled. "It's… it's as if a dark power is draining the strength of the god cards.

"What do we do?" Téa inquired.

"How 'bout dropping dem damn cards?" Joey suggested. Adais had to admit the thought had crossed his mind as well. Yami shook his head.

"I-I can't let go." Their attention was diverted when a shrill scream pierced the silence of the museum. Adais stood straighter and then turned to run toward to door. The others quickly followed him. Once outside, they stood and stared at what could only be described as every monster movie come to life. Dragons flew passed them. Other creatures were climbing the skyscrapers around town. Adais blinked in disbelief, his hand going for his cell phone before realizing he had left it at his desk.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Joey exclaimed.

"What? Someone's duel disk go haywire? Tristan asked.

"No, it would take more than one off kilter duel disk to create something this big," Adais said thoughtfully. Téa nodded.

"Yeah, there's gotta be more to it." Joey agrred.

"Now the only way to find out is to go straight to da source. So let's pay our old pal Kaiba a visit, shall we?" He suggested. The others nodded. Adais stayed behind, still in awe. His awe was broken, however, when a live version of the Cursive Dragon swooped down and nearly grabbed him before he ducked back inside the museum and headed for his office.

"I sure hope Mother knows what's going on; because I sure as hell don't…"

* * *

"Kaiba Corp., please hold."

"Thank you for calling Kiaba Corp., please hold." Sanura frowned and shook her head as the phones began ringing off the hook.

"Kaiba Corp., this is Sanura Hart, may I help you?" She listened a moment in disbelief before turning to look out the picture window in her office. In the time that Seto had been off in America preparing his latest venture, she had taken over his office at his request to see things taken care of in his absence. She had done well in her opinion. The sight that greeted her eyes, however, had her droppingthe phone. The caller never even heard her as she whispered, "One moment, please."

"Miss. Hart!" Aiden burst through the office doors, his breath fast in coming as if he had just run a marathon. "Have you seen this?" She shook her head in disbelief once again. Quickly, she backed away when the Luster Dragon roared near the window. She had moved so quickly, she tripped over the office chair and fell back into it. "Miss. Hart?"

"No time. We need damage control, and we need to notify Mr. Kaiba." She stood and straightened her business skirt before facing Aiden. "Mr. Winters, a crowd most likely will begin to form outside the building. Strengthen your forces and let no one in." He nodded and left the office as she picked up the phone and dialed Seto's direct number. A number he had told her to use only in strict emergencies. "I think this counts as one of those strict emergencies."

The phone rang a few times before she heard Seto's voice answer the other end.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir, I am sorry to call you on this line, but we have a problem…"

* * *

Screams rocked through the club as one of the walls collasped. Aurora leapt over the counter, fury in her eyes. The fury faded to shock, however, when she learned the cause of the collapse was the tail of a flying dragon.

"Did we just step foot into a fairytale book?" Natara asked as she walked out of the kitchen, toweling off her hands.

"I don't know, but I do know this isn't going to be good," Bryant answered from the stage.

"Pegasus is going to hit the roof when he sees _this_ repair bill," Dorian chided from behind Aurora. She nodded.

"I'll deal with that later. We have to deal with this now." The others agreed and swiftly moved from their spots. "Be careful everyone! These aren't you're typical holograms!"

"No joke," Dorian growled as a creature slashed his arm with a claw. "These bastards hurt." He opened his free hand and pressed it forward as a shock of light blue light came forward and crashed into the creature. There was a shout and a cry not far behind him. Turning he saw Zahara and Ryou backed against another wall. A dark wolf-like creature had cornered them.

"Hang on, Zahara!" Bryant called out as he forced back a Giant Rat. (1) She frowned and narrowed her eyes. There was a brief flash of light and the wolf-creature flinched. It was just the distraction she needed to jump up and kick at it's snout, sending it to it's back. Reaching back, she grabbed Ryou's hand and ran toward Bryant.

"What was that thing?" She gasped out.

"A Pitch-Black Warwolf," (2) Ryou answered, still glancing over his shoulder. "But what I don't understand is what it's doing out here in the city."

"It's something we're all trying to figure out," Natara replied as she steeped near to check on them. There was another shout and they turned to see Aurora and a Koumori Dragon crash into what was left of her dance club.

"I thought her intention was to spare the club," Doriancommented with a frown.

"Guess keeping nearby people safe was a bit more important," Sapphira returned with a shake of her head. They hurried to the destroyed building. Aurora groaned and attempted to climb her way out of the rubble. Bryant and Dorian reached forward and each took a hand to help her out. They all had just gotten their feet back on the ground when a sudden jolt of pain ripped through them. Each cried out. Natara fell to her knees and Aurora backed up against a crumbling wall. Sapphira winced and the guys cringed. Zahara looked around in shock.

"What's happening? Mother?" Aurora shook her head.

"The power… the ancient power of our people. It's been awakened."

"That means…" Natara looked up with fear in her eyes.

"Theron figured out how to activate the crystal," Aurora finished, giving a weakened sigh.

"Then we have to find him," Bryant said as he stood straight again asthe pain faded.

"It won't matter. With the power awakened all he has to do is gather whatever is left to wake the sleeping beast. If it is indeed here on this world, then we don't have mcuh time left. Theron will be looking for the strongest soul. We will know if he has one in mind, soon enough. He knows our blood won't work. It will have to be someone of this world," Aurora explained.

"Why won't the blood of our kind work?" Zahara asked.

"Because our kind was the last to take it down. He will need a different source of power." They all looked at each other with one thought in their heads.

"The Pharaoh."

* * *

Sanura left the comfort of her office and made her way as professionally as possibly to the ground level of the building. Aiden had returned to help make sure she made it outside safe as the crowd began to build around the building. Shouts and cries of "What's going on?" could be heard all around her. She glanced around and took a breath.

"I will answer as many questions as I can," she informed them. "So please, one at a time."

"Is Kaiba Corp. responsible for all this?" A female reporter asked her.

"This town deserves to know!" A man hollared out. Sanura took another breath to steady her voice.

"Mr. Kaiba wishes for everyone to understand that this company is not to blame for the chaos that has begun this day."

"So the duel monsters running amuk in the streets and sky is just a coincidence?"

"I did not say that. Though we cannot and will not be held responsible for this, Mr. Kaiba has his staff working full force to see that this is cleared up as soon as possible. I am sorry, but I cannot comment further. Mr. Kaiba will be giving a personal press conference later today to clear up any more confusion. Thank you for your time. Good day." Sanura turned and Aiden ushered her back into the building.

"Think they will believe you?"

"To be honest, I'm not so sure I believe me. This is ridiculous." She shook her head. "Aiden, go home and pack a small bag. Mr. Kaiba wants me to join him in America. With this mess going on, I am not about to travel alone." He nodded and left her on her own. She spun around in the office assistant's chair and looked outside. The winged creatures and King Kong-sized beasts filled the streets now. Buildings were falling and crumbling left and right. As much as she loved being near her family, she was glad to be leaving.

* * *

Aurora finished wrappng Dorian's arm and stood, wiping the sweat off her brow. Bryant had turned on the news, hoping to hear more word on the mysterious cause of the appearance of the monsters. Closing the first aid kit, she turned to listen to the report as well.

"In the last twenty-four hours, monsters have been seen all over the globe, including the appearance of a winged dragon perched atop Taj-Mahal. These creatures appear to be life-like holograms believed to have connections with the game Duel Monsters. We now take you to live to a Kaiba Corp. press conference where gaming company president, Seto Kaiba, will make a statement."

"About time," Dorian grumbled. Aurora and Natara shushed him as the screen flashed to Seto's face in front a podium.

"We've done extensive testing on our holographic systems. Now I am able to confirm that without a doubt, these sightings are unrelated to Kaiba Corp. Our state of the art technology is working perfectly." The screen switched back to the reporter and Bryant switched off the news.

"So he claims they aren't responisble."

"Is that really a surprise?"

"Sapphira's right, we knew at first glance that they weren't holograms. Seto couldn't have created the real deal. At least not yet," Natara agreed.

"Plus that's not the kind of company he is running. All science is game related in Kaiba Corp. now," Aurora added. Her cell phone went off and she frowned at the ring tone.

"Uh-oh, think Pegasus heard about the club?" Dorian asked her with a grin. She shook her head with a light smile and flipped open her phone.

"This is Ms. Hart… Yes, Mr. Pegasus… uh-huh… Of course… I understand. I will be on the first flight out." She closed her phone. "Looks like I am headed to America."

"Again?" Bryant asked.

"Apparently, Pegasus had another strange dream. He wants help setting up something just in case it comes true. He said I could help him. That and he is worried he needs a little extra protection."

"What could possibly have him spooked?" Aurora shrugged and stood.

"Who knows. Guess I better go and find out." She silently walked to her room. She made one stop to put the first aid kit back into it's place before stepping into the dark room. Night had long fallen by the time they were able to break free of the monsters. Aurora had not even wanted to consider dealing with the damage of the club. She merely reclaimed the money and paperwork that could be salvaged and returned home.

"Aurora…" She paused and frowned. Looking around her darkened room told her nothing, yet she knew she was not alone.

"Who's there?" A small flickering of light appeared in the corner of the room and she took a small step back. There was a child's giggle behind her and she gasped, side-stepping and bumping into her wall.

"There's no need to fear us, Ms. Hart," A ghostly looking child with long, braided, brown hair informed her. "Grandpa and I did not come here to harm you."

"Who are you?" Aurora asked the little girl.

"You can call me Chris. That's my grandfather, Ironheart," Chris said cheerfully as she nodded to the otherform in the corner.

"Why have you come to see me?"

"We have come because we sense the same power within you as the power of the creature that is ready to wake. We need your help to help the chosen ones defeat it."

"Chosen ones?" The ghost of Ironheart nodded his head.

"You see, years ago, an evil creature came to this world from another. No one dared to go against the creature. No one until three brave men summoned the courage to lead several monsters and villagers into battle for freedom from the darkness this creature was creating. These men were Timaeus, Critius, and Hermos. The battle was long and hard, but they were able to seal the creature away, draining it of its power. However, this victory had it's price. The three knights were transformed into dragons and then became frozen. The power trapped inside, waiting for the day they would be needed again. But only the strength and determination of the chosen three can wake them from their slumber. Still the chosen ones, even with such strength and skill, will need further protection. This is why I seek you out."

"I'm afraid I don't understand. Why me?"

"Your enemy and mine have become one and the same. They will target those you love. We can help each other to keep this world out of the darkness." Aurora thought a moment and took a breath. The thought of those close to her in danger concerned her greatly. Still, she was uncertain of her path. Finally she sighed and looked up at the spirit.

"All right. I shall help. Discreetly. I can't have Lord Theron knowing I have figured this much out, help or no help."

"I understand. I will seek you out again when you are needed." They each gave solemn nods and Chris giggled before the two spirits faded away. She jumped when her phone rang again. "Hello? Adais? Wait, slow down, what happened?" Her eyes opened wide in shock. "Are you certain? Now?" She told him she would meet him and hurried back down her stairs.

"Where's the fire, Aurora? Not like that club is worth salvaging at this time of night," Dorian commented as she grabbed her cloak.

"No fire; worse."

"How much worse?" Natara asked her.

"Yugi's grandfather was attacked. The god cards were stolen."

* * *

**_I want to thank my faithful readers and reviewers again for continuing along on this little journey. DDCfreak, Atemu Fangurl, Ishizu-san, Pastelblue, Change of Heart Twins, Luna Dusk, Marik 360, ASJ, Moxy, yuzznut, Yami Val, and Pharaohyamifan; thank you all! _**

**_Notes: _**

**_(1) _****_Giant Rat- An Earth Beast/Effect monster, _****_ATK_****_/1400-DEF/1450 _**

**_(2) _****_Pitch-Black Warwolf- A Dark, Beast-warrior/Effect monster, _****_ATK_****_/1600-DEF/600 _**

**_Well, this is the beginning and already you can see that I have made good on my warning. Hope you liked it so far. The rest is yet to come. See you again next Chapter! _**

**_Regards, _**

**_LadyPhoenix99 _**


	2. Ancient History

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything related to it what-so-ever. The only characters in this fic that are truly mine are:**

**Lady Aurora Phoenix (Hart), Lady Natara Fear (Cooper), Lady Sapphira Star (Raine), Dorian "Chaos" (Stanson), Bryant "Havoc" (Westbrook), Sanura, Zahara, Adais, Shadow, Panther, Lord Theron (yup… they're back… and all the characters beginning with Lady Aurora Phoenix are copyrighted to me)  
****A/N: I understand many will not agree with a lot of what is written but that is why this is in the fantasy genre and not in just the general one. This is purely a concoction out of my own head and I am just going where the ideas lead me.**

**_As warned, this version of Doma is going to be different. The same duels and characters and events, yes, but a lot of changes, Partnerships, twists and turns… I tell you this up front so you know. OC's will have more free range in here, things will happen that most likely would not have happened in the real story… Some parts will have add-ons, and others will be completely created right from the start. Hopefully, you will like what you read. But if not, I don't expect flames as you have been warned that this will be completely different from what we all saw in Doma. That being said; please read and enjoy!

* * *

_**

**Chapter 2**

**Ancient History**

The silver convertible sped through the streets of Domino as Aurora made her way toward the pier. She could feel the ancient powers of her people pulling at her. Whatever was going on included something much darker than Yami had faced before.

"If Ironheart's warning was about the creature of darkness my people faced ten thousand years ago, I only hope that Yami is ready to face such power," she murmured to herself. Her tires squealed to a stop and her eyes widened at the sight of a transparent shield of green. She gasped in recognition. "It can't be! No, they didn't!" Swiftly, she leapt from her car and hurried down the alley, stopping suddenly behind Yugi's friends. They had been so captivated by the duel that faced them, none of them had even heard her approach.

"Now, Bronze Knight, eliminate his queen!"

"Queen's Knight, escape!" Yami called out hurriedly. There was a brief flash as his Queen faded from sight. Yami's opponent looked on in shock.

"She's gone? But how?"

"The magic of Magical Academy allowed me to call back my queen and replace her with my Dark Magician Girl." Cheers and claps were heard from Yugi's friends as the sorceress appeared on the field with her dazzling smile.

"That's not fair!"

"You're the one playing a card that allows you to have more monsters on the field then typically allowed and you're saying _he's_ not playing fair?" Téa commented in disbelief.

"My magic card makes the move quite fair, actually," Yami informed him calmly. "What's more is my Dark Magician Girl will clear the field of all your monsters and bring me to victory."

"Impossible!" The opponent cried out, taking a step back. "There's no way one monster could destroy seven!"

"Face it, it's over. First, she receives three hundred more attack points thanks to the Dark Magician in my graveyard."

"She's going to need more than that if she expects to defeat my warriors."

"Don't worry, she'll have plenty of what she needs to defeat you," Yami assured him as he drew another card from his deck. "I activate Diffusion Wave Motion!"

Above the sounds of the battle, Aurora's keen hearing caught the sounds of two additional voices. Looking up, she saw three figures gazing down on the battle from a nearby rooftop. She could see the shock on their faces as the card was put intoplay and the Dark Magician Girl began her attack. One by one the opponent's monsters fell like dominos. With each one down, the opponent's life points quickly fell to zero.

"I-I lost," he gasped. His eyes widened a moment later when the seal began to close in on him.

"No!" Aurora cried out, startling Yugi's friends as she rushed passed them. They watched in silence as she lifted her hands and uttered a few words in a language none of them recognized. She closed her eyes when she realized it was too late for the older man and the seal disappeared, leaving the man souless on the wooden platform. Her hands clenched into fists.

_Theron, I know you had something to do with this. I can't let you continue taking souls and lives of those here on Earth. Not like you did back home. It has to end now,_ she thought. Behind her, Yami's eyes had drifted close in exhaustion and he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"Yugi! Are you all right?" Téa called out to him. Slowly, Aurora turned and he looked at her. She saw the questions and sudden distrust in his eyes before he turned to look up at the rooftop.

"Now, give me the god cards!" Yami demanded of the three men Aurora had taken notice of earlier. He stood straighter. Once again, Aurora saw the look of royalty upon his face.

"Sorry, you didn't hold up your end of the deal," the blonde one informed him in a gruff voice.

"I accepted and won the duel. I kept my end," Yami insisted.

"Ah, ah, you have to defeat all of us," the other replied. "Not just one of us. But you know what? I think you deserve something for being such a good sport about it all." The man pulled out two duel cards and tossed them down at Yami's feet. Aurora noticed two green glowing orbs as they pulled from the cards and disappeared into the night. Yami looked down at the cards.

"Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood?"

"I've released your friends' souls as a gift."

"I'll give ya a gift!" Joey hollared up at them as he and the others raced up behind Yami. "It's the gift that keeps on givin'!"

"Joey, please," Téa groaned in exasperation. Another man with brown hair chuckled.

"That's one's got spunk. Reminds me of me self," he said. A slight hint of an English accent could be heard in his words and Aurora wondered briefly if he and Ryou were not by chance from the same country. "Only dumber and not nearly as attractive. Toying with that guy's gonna be fun," he added as a side thought. Aurora bit her lip and forced herself not to roll her eyes. She hated that the men seemed so flippant over what they were apart of.

"Now _wait_ a goddamn minute! Don't you turn your backs on me!" Joey shouted back as the men turned to leave. Yami moved forward and Aurora watched him inspect his opponent thoughtfully.

"Be careful, Yugi," Téa pleaded.

"Something tells me that guy's not gettin' up too soon," Tristan assured her. Yami reached forward silently and retreived a card that was lying near the man. Slowly, he turned the card around to see the picture, and noticed that his opponent's face was there behind the symbol of the Orichalcos.

"So, uh… does dat mean da old guy's dead?" Joey asked. Yami reached to feel for a pulse, but Aurora stopped him with her words.

"He's not dead. But he may as well be. His soul has been taken from him."

"What's this?" Téa stooped down to lift a glowing piece of crystal from the other side of the older man. "It's pretty."

"And dangerous," Aurora informed her softly. Yami looked up at her, but remained silent and Téa approached and handed him the crystal.

"Where does this power come from?" Aurora looked away. She was not ready to divulge this information, though she knew it would have to be spoken soon. She glanced back when she heard Yami draw in his breath. She noticed the look in his eyes and grew concerned.

"You must be careful with that crystal. If you aren't, it's power will control you. The consequences will be great." Distracted from the crystal, Yami let his eyes drift toward her.

"I think it's time you and I had another chat." She lowered her gaze. "This time, I want to know everything I can be told. No holding back." She nodded silently.

"What she can't tell us, Rex and Weevil may be able to," Tristan suggested. "It's almost day now, I'm sure we can find them." Joey agreed and they took off down the alley. Téa hesitated a moment and looked back at Yami and Aurora.

"Go on with them, Téa," Yami told her. "I'll catch up to you."

"Are you sure?" He nodded solemly and she did as she was asked. He turned toward Aurora again.

"Tell me what they told you. I will fill in the rest," was all she said to him as she started to head back toward her car. He moved along side her.

"The Seal of Orichalcos, is a seal used to collect the souls of those defeated in duels. It allows the controller of the Seal to increase their monsters attack strength as well as have more than the legal limit of monsters on their side of the field. It is a power that has been around longer than my Millennium Puzzle. So strong is it's power that it overwhelmed my puzzle and left me powerless against it. No one can leave the seal and no one can enter it once it's in play.

"I was also informed by them that the Age of Destruction was at hand. The Earth is going to be covered in darkness and my own soul would be the cause. He mentioned a great beast that was weak but was making an attempt to wake from it's slumber. It is returning to finish what it began centuries ago."

"But before it can, it needs souls to give it strength," Aurora finished softly.

"So you _do_ know about this."

"I suspected as much."

"How long have you known?"

"About this particular event? The fact that the seal was being used once again?" Aurora hesitated. "I only learned of it's existance here on Earth tonight before arriving to your duel. I had a… ghostly vision, you can say. In it, a man of ancient times told me of a great beast that crashed here to Earth roughly ten thousand years ago. It made it's existance known then and granted a great deal of power to an unnamed man." Aurora stopped near her car before climbing in. Yami walked around and climbed into the passenger side.

"You had no knowledge of it before tonight?" She lowered her eyes.

"I had not known for certain the power was here. My friends and I have been searching for it. We knew our enemy, Lord Theron, would be looking for it as well, in hopes to use it to destroy us once and for all. We were hoping to find it before he did. I had the key needed begin the first of many rituals that would set it free. A crystal that was passed down within the members of my clan. During Battle City while you were trapped within the vitual world, my friends and I were attacked. The crystal was stolen from me. We have since made attempt after attempt to retrieve it, but to no avail; and now the power has been activated."

"So that is what is going on here. Your enemy has crossed over to prevent me from learning who I am?"

"Not exactly. Lord Theron typically works alone. Plans everything and executes every plan with only himself to question. But this… he needed an outsider's help. He needed the one who knew where the great beast slept. Yami, this time, our enemies have joined forces. He would go after me if he could, but my blood, my soul, would not help his cause. It is the blood and souls of my ancestors that forced the beast away the last time. They needed new blood and new souls to wake it this time. But not just any souls…"

"What do you mean?"

"For the beast to wake completely, Theron and whoever he is working with will need the souls of the strongest people on Earth. The strongest people _of_ Earth. Yours would be among those needed."

"So the Seal, it is not an Earthbound power?"

"No, it is one of Eudora, my home planet. It was used a different way back then, however, that is why it surprised me to see it. It was not used in duel's like this. It was a spell that was cast over a person. The person who modified it, gave it a more... honorable purpose. Honor is not Theron's way."

"I see." Yami was silent a moment as Aurora started her car and they drove through the streets searching for his friends. "Aurora?"

"Yes?"

"Can you stop it? The Seal? The Beast? Can it be stopped?" Aurora stopped at a red light and waited. She drew a reluctant breath.

"It can be stopped, but it won't be easy. As for the power, itself…It's a matter of one's will. Their hearts have to have the purest of intentions, but even then the Seal can corrupt them. That crystal in your hand, is a piece of the original Orichalcos Crystal. It is meant to bring out the darkness within a person's soul and make them more likely to fall prey to the Seal, itself." She stopped speaking when they pulled up alongside Joey and Tristan as they held Rex and Weevil up in the air. Yami opened the door, but it was Yugi who joined them. He passed a galnce back at Aurora and she nodded before driving off.

_Be careful, Yugi and Yami. This could be far more dangerous than you are prepared for.

* * *

_

Adais passed by the Pharaoh's Tablet once more to check on Solomon before returning to his office. He noticed his father-in-law was no longer alone. Another elderly gentleman stood beside him. Beside the gentleman was a blonde girl Adais could only think was a grandchild to the newcomer. He drew nearer to them when he gentleman turned toward the little girl.

"Rebecca, would you be a dear and go find Yugi? There is some information I would like to share with him."

"Yes, Grandfather," Rebecca said brightly as she turned and hurried passed Adais. She bumped against him slightly as she moved and she paused momentarily to bow her head in an apology. He inclined his head as well as she turned to leave once more.

"Arther, allow me to introduce my son-in-law, Adais. He is the curator for the museum and has taken pains to see this Egyptian exhibit is as accurate as can be with the information available to us." The gentleman turned and extended his hand toward Adais, who took and shook it firmly. Now that he was closer to the gentleman, he recognized him from the newspapers.

"Professor Hawkins?"

"That is correct. It is good to finally meet the father of the world's Duel Monster's champion." Adais chuckled.

"That would all be from Solomon's teaching and training, believe me. I'm too used to things covered in dust to focus much on the game play. Sadly, I probably couldn't duel my way out of a paperbag," Adais admitted with a soft laugh. Solomon joined in the laughed and patted Adais on the back.

"You could if you allowed me to train you."

"I heard how you trained Joey Wheeler, Solomon. I think I will stick to the artifacts." He gave his father-in-law a wink before turning back to Arther. "I see you have taken an interest in the Pharaoh's Tablet."

"Yes, indeed I have. When Yugi and my granddaughter return I will explain more about why I have come all this way." They did not have to wait long before the men heard the group enter the exhibit room. Téa was openly scowling at how Rebecca had latched on to Yugi and Adais could not help but smirk at the unusual shade of red coloring his son's face.

"Welcome back."

"Hey, Dad," Yugi said with a nod as he made an attempt to pull free of her vise-like grip.

"Yugi Motou," Arther greeted. "It is so good to see you again. I have been meaning to speak with you. You see, I believe that all these monster sightings have something to do with you." Yugi gasped and Adais narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean, they may have something to do with me?" Yugi asked him. Arther turned back to the tablet.

"Seeing these carvings confirms what I have been suspecting all along. Yugi, I suspect that you share a common bond with that of a three thousand year old Pharaoh." Adais' eyes bulged and he quickly turned the choking sound he was about to make into a cough. Yugi's eyelids half-lowered as Arther continued to speak. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Yeah, my life's more confusing than most kids." Adais hid his smile behind his notebook.

_My son, you have no idea how much more confusing it is about to become,_ he thought. Arther chuckled at Yugi's response.

"Perhaps I can help you understand a bit more. Though it is true that I am a professor and architect, I have spent the latter part of my career studying the origins of Duel Monsters." This caught Adais' attention and he lowered his notebook and turned to listen more intently. "You see, it had started out as more than a mere game. Egyptian sorcerers managed to find a way to seal real monsters within stone tablets. Periodically, these sorcerers would release these monsters in an attempt to display their great power. The more monsters that were collected, the stronger the sorcerers' powers would become. Eventually, the Shadow Magic spun out of control and threatened to destroy all life on Earth. There was only one man with the power to face this darkness and lead the world back into light. That man is the great Pharaoh who's power you wear around your neck." Yugi pondered the professor's words a moment.

"But how does that explain what is happening now? Did these ancient monsters come back, or something?" A grave expression passed the professor's features.

"I'm afraid so, but before you can go forward to try and stop it, there is another piece to this story you need to know. Tell me, have you ever heard of the lost city of Atlantis?" Adais frowned as he tried to make the connection. Téa looked up.

"I read a great book about it once."

"What?" Joey and Tristan asked in disbelief. She rolled her eyes.

"What? You think I get all my information out of you two? I _do_ happen to enjoy reading from time to time. I can get more accurate information that way," she added with a smirk.

"You nerd," Joey teased. She gave a defeated sigh and shook her head as Arther chuckled.

"In my latest expedition, I may have discovered that very city." Eyes opened wide in shock all around and all teasing ended as they all grew interested in the professor's words. "It is an underwater world that existed long before Ancient Egypt. That was a surprise, sure, but what gave me the greatest shock was what I found there. There were carvings there on the walls." Arther reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and produced a few photographs he had made sure to take while inside the ruins. Yugi reached for them and peered down.

"No way! They look like Duel Monsters!" He gasped.

"My thoughts exactly. What I have come to realize now is that these monsters did not originate three thousand years ago in Egypt, in fact they seemed to have originated ten thousand years ago within the city I believe is Atlantis."

"So you're saying Atlantis is real?" Téa asked. Solomon looked up at his old friend.

"Do you realize that your discovery could rewrite history?"

"If he can find enough people to believe him," Adais murmured as he glanced at the pictures. Arther lowered his head, his excitement faded.

"Your son-in-law is correct, I'm afraid. That and there is still so much I don't know. Before I can even begin to think about sharing this with the other scholars, I must first further my research to be sure that my thoughts are correct."

"What about this carving?" Yugi asked as he shuffled through the pictures. "It almost looks like the monsters are attacking the city."

"Actually if you look closer at the picture, you will find that only _some_ of the monsters are destroying the city." Yugi looked again.

"Yeah, you're right." He looked up. "Okay, so only some of the monsters seem to be evil, does that mean that the other monsters are good?"

"Sadly, I have yet to collect enough evidence to confirm that," Arther told him. "However, I do believe that there is a parallel universe of monsters that lives alongside our world. I believe that is how throughout history some people were able to call upon these monsters. While some have tried to help mankind, others have made attempts to destroy it." Tristan groaned and grabbed his head.

"Oh come on, you nutty professor- _Ow_! The pain!" Adais hid aother smirk as the professor's spirited granddaughter kicked Tristan in the shin and threatened to harm him more for disrespecting her grandfather.

"Now, Rebecca, is that the way a college student acts?" Rebecca instantly settled down and lowered her gaze to the floor. "Please forgive her. She's protective of me. However, I am no stranger to ridicule, and it does seem to be a bit of a far-fetched theory."

"But it's true!" Rebecca insisted.

"I believe ya, Professor," Joey admitted, earning himself several disbelieving looks. Tristan rolled his eyes. "Face it, after all da weird stuff we've been through, I believe anything." He looked down, lost in thought. "Like when I fought Marik in dat Shadow Game. Allthose monster attacks felt pretty real ta me. And Tristan, did you forget about all da times dat both Mai _and_ Bakura got blasted into da Shadow Realm? Let's face it, dere's plentya stuff out there dat we just can't explain."

"You mean like how there's a Pharaoh living inside my Puzzle?" Yugi asked his friend. Joey nodded. Adais bit his tongue. He had heard the stories growing up, but he knew the time would come soon enough for all the mysteries to be revealed.

"Anyway, the point that I am trying to make here is this," Arther continued. "When the Egyptian sorcerers conjured these monsters three thousand years ago, the Pharaoh was there to save man-kind from destruction. Now, Yugi, it seems that Pharaoh has been reborn in you, meaning man-kind needs his help once again." Yugi bowed his head.

"But Professor, I have no idea even where to begin. I mean, do we try to get all these monsters to return to their own world? Or do we try to figure out what that weird motorcycle gang is up to?"

"I wish I could help you more than that, but unfortunately, this is where my knowledge of the situation ends." Yugi's eyes widened a moment and he reached into his own pocket.

"Wait a minute! I may have a clue. Ever see anything like this before?" Yugi produced the glowing, green crystal Aurora had warned Yami about earlier and showed it to the Professor.

"Wow, that's awesome!" Rebecca gasped.

"Let me take a closer look, Yugi." Arther reached forward and lifted it from Yugi's palm. "What is it?"

"I'm still not completely sure. The guy I dueled against last night left it behind. I was able to learn a little about it from someone else I know, but I wanted to know what you thought as well."

"This stone looks remarkably similar to something I saw during my expedition. Do you mind if I hold onto the stone for a little while, Yugi? I would like to take it back to my lab and take a closer look at it."

"Please feel free to, Professor," Yugi allowed with a nod. "Especially if you think it might help."

"It just may hold the answers to many of our questions." Arther looked down at his watch. "Oh my, I suppose Rebecca and I should be on our way before we miss our flight."

"I'll ride to the airport with you," Solomon offered. His old friend nodded and they all left the exhibit to greet a taxi waiting out front. "You kids be good now, I'll return soon."

"Okay, Grandpa," Yugi said.

"See ya, cutie!" Rebecca squeezed Yugi tightly and pecked a kiss on his cheek, stopping his next sentence from being heard as his face turned about three shades of red. Téa growled, but Rebecca took no notice. "Ta ta!"

"Good riddance," Tristan grumbled as the taxi pulled away.

_Please! Help me!_ Adais and Yugi blinked and looked at each other before looking around. Joey glanced down at his shorter friend.

"You okay, Yuge?"

"Did you guys hear someone call for help?"

"Huh?" His friends asked in unison. Yugi looked into his father's eyes and realized he was at least not the only one. Adais frowned thoughtfully. He knew he did not have the same gifts as his sisters, but he did have sensitve hearing that allowed him to hear some things others could not. He figured the gift had been passed on to Yugi as well.

"Sorry, Yugi, but I didn't hear anything. This place is a ghost town," Tristan commented as they, too, looked around.

"Please, after all that's happened, don't say ghost," Téa begged.

"Come on, guys. It's been a long day. I think it's time to catch some z's." Joey replied with a yawn. Tristan and Téa turned to follow him as Adais and Yugi continued to glance down the street.

"Easy for you to say," Téa muttered. "After everything that's happened, it's going to be nightmare central for me." Adais placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I just have to lock up the museum, Yugi. If you want to wait just a few more minutes, I can take you home." Yugi looked up at his father gratefully and nodded. The voice continued to echo in his mind. He knew he had heard the voice before, but he could not place just where.

_Please, Yugi! I need your help!

* * *

_

**_I want to thank my faithful readers and reviewers again for continuing along on this little journey. DDCfreak, Atemu Fangurl, Ishizu-san, Pastelblue, Change of Heart Twins, Luna Dusk, Marik 360, ASJ, Moxy, yuzznut, Yami Val, and Pharaohyamifan; thank you all!_**

**_Just a side note here... my Word program has gone a bit screwy on me, I did my best to catch any and all errors, but I may have missed a few along the way. I apologize for them now. I am hoping to find a way to get it fixed here soon._**

_**See you next chapter!**_

_**LadyPhoenix99**_


	3. Rise of Timaeus

What? I'm not dead? Wow, I'm shocked.. as well as many of you I am sure lol. I cannot apologize enough for the long wait on this... personal issues collided with my ability to concentrate and get this done. I only wish this update was worth the wait. In the next seven days there should be a few more updates though to this. I am hoping to finish it soon if my muse doesn't disappear on me and I can stop procrastinating...

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Rise of Timaeus**

"Here, Solomon, just rest easy, I can get this," Adais said as he helped the older man back to his room. "You're shop will be good as new."

"Thank you, Adais." Solomon closed his eyes as Adais turned and made his way back down the hall. He paused a moment outside Yugi's room where he heard voices. Curious, he leaned against the wall to listen.

"I just can't stop thinking about what Professor Hawkins said at the museum," Yugi said softly.

"I feel the same way, Yugi. If his theory about Duel Monsters is true, this could be our toughest fight yet. The magic involved in this is great."

"What about Aurora? She is certainly knowledgable in this."

"Right now I am uncertain about her. There have been so many secrets she has had to keep, it is hard to know if she really can be trusted in all this."

"What do you mean? She's always been there for us."

"I know. I would hate to learn she has just been gaining our trust in a way to better bring us down."

"I don't know. I just don't see her being that kind of person, Yami." Yugi frowned. "She's a mystery, yes, but I don't see her as being a traitor." Yami said nothing. Adais wished he could look into the room, but remained still outside the door.

"I just hope you're right, Yugi."

* * *

Theron glanced at the doorway as three bikers made their way into the room. Dartz stood and turned a questioning look upon them. 

"We have found the Pharaoh, Master," one told him with a gruff voice. "Unfortunately, we were unable to capture his soul."

"I wouldn't have expected it to be so easy on the first attempt," Dartz told him evenly. "We've just begun."

"But you know me, Master," the gruff voice returned. "I never come back empty handed." He stood and held out a small box to the long haired man with different colored eyes. He opened the lid and Dartz reached in to pull out three cards.

"Excellent. The three Egyptian gods. You have done well, Raphael. Now we have the power needed to awaken the great beast!" He exclaimed. Theron nodded, impressed. He watched as Dartz made his way over to snakehead like statues and placed the cards in each mouth. "Soon, we shall rid the earth of mankind and rebuild civilization as it once was. Serpants of the Orichalcos, hear my call. I offer you the gods of Egypt! Take their power and rise again!" His laughter echoed in the darkened room as the power began to glow and reach to the top of the tower. Theron smiled wickedly as he watched.

_Yes, the time is near. Soon vengeance will be mine.

* * *

_

"I thought I would stop by one last time before I left for America."

Adais opened the door and allowed his mother entrance. Closing and locking it once again, he set a broom against the wall. "I didn't realize you were going back."

"I have to. I guess Pegasus has some security issues he needs me to check on."

"You don't believe him?"

"It isn't that. I just feel that there is something more to it. Things have been so strange lately it really is hard to know what is fact and what isn't most times."

"I hear that. I guess Yugi is having a hard time dealing with it as well."  
"How so?"

"I over heard him talking to … Yami… earlier tonight. Professor Hawkins was here and told him a few things that made him think. He has a lot of fear about this."

"As well he should. This isn't going to be like the other times. There is so much more at stake here. Those men took the keys away to help Yami learn his identity."

"On top of all that, he doesn't trust you either, it seems."

"I wouldn't doubt that. My duty hasn't allowed me to be very forth comming. He has every right to doubt me, given his position. I would doubt me, too." Their conversation was halted as a rainbow of lights brightened the storefront.

"What _is_ that?" They moved cautiously toward the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "The Northen Lights?" Adais guessed.

"No," Aurora said with a slight shake of her head. "The beast's power is growing. It is calling to the other monsters for their power."

"Dad? What's going on?" Adais and Aurora turned as Yugi hurried down the stairs to meet them. "What is that light?"

"I am not entirely sure, Yugi," Adais answered. "But whatever it is, the monsters seem to be caught up in it."

Yugi frowned. "No… It's happening."

"Yugi, wait!" Adais and Aurora called out to him as he took off down the street.

"What's happening?" Aurora looked at her son and shook her head.

"I guess we follow him to find out what he knows this time."

* * *

Ryou looked up from where he sat on the sidewalk when he heard Zahara's soft gasp. "What is it?" 

"Some kind of crystal in the sky," she answered in amazement as she pointed up.

"It looks like the monsters are melting into the crystal."

"Tings are definitely getting' weirder around here," Joey commented as he approached them. Téa and Tristan agreed, continuing to stare at the sky. Zahara glanced slightly out of the corner of her eye as Yugi approched them. There was a sudden crash and the streets were filled with screaming citizans. Shards of the crystal rained down upon the city sending everyone running for cover.

"What's _dat?_" Joey choked out, blinking as a huge dragon's eye appeared in the sky creating a votex to continue collecting the monsters.

"I don't want to find out," Téa answered.

"I second that feeling," Ryou added. Zahara continued to stare up in wonder. Her wonder turned to fear when a gust of wind formed a funnel cloud that raced toward them.

"Um, guys," Tristan started as he began to back away. "_Run!_" Zahara and Ryou scattered from the others. They heard Téa scream out as the funnel cloud struck Yugi where he stood.

"No!" She shouted, trying to look through the cloud.

"Yugi!" Adais and Aurora called out as they approached at a dead run. They stopped when a bright light shone from his duel disk and Yugi looked down at it in wonder. They watched him pull the top card and stare at it in shock.

"What could it be?" Adais asked.

"Not sure, but I think we're about to find out," Aurora answered tensely as she struggled against the wind. She watched as a determined look crossed Yugi's face and he turned to stare up at the eye.

"Now I summon, _Timaeus_!" He shouted into the wind. He thrust the card forward and again the light began to shine. Instantly, the funnel cloud disapeared and a large green dragon could be seen. It's roar shook the ground and fire lit in it's eyes.

"Look at the size of that thing!" Joey exclaimed.

"Timaeus! Protect us from that monster!" Yugi commanded. The dragon turned and faced the golden eye in the scream with a scream. Another funnel cloud surged from the eye and Timaeus reared it's head putting forth a blast of fire. The clash between the two powers had everyone sheilding their eyes from the light.

_Come on, _Aurora thought, her fist clenching as she watched. Yugi's determined face grew more fierce as Timaeus reaered back for another burst of strength. The fire broke from the wind and directed it's path into the eye. Green crystal shattered everywhere once more. Timaeus gave a roar before disappearing beck into Yugi's deck. Aurora smiled and breathed a deep sigh as she relaxed. She watched his friend gather around him asking question after question about the new dragon. They were silenced only when a pink light appeared and Dark Magician Girl materialized in front of him.

"We've only just begun," she told them softly. "The Great Beast is still weak so he retreated for the moment. And for that, my companions and I are truly grateful, my Pharaoh. But many of us remain prisoners on the other side."

"So, what's next?" Yugi asked her.

"The Great Beast will return again and his power will grow. He must be stopped before he's fully restored. Time is running out!" Her voice echoed in the street as she faded from sight. Yugi looked down at the card in his hand.

"Seems like Timaeus is strong but not strong enough," Yugi commented softly.

_But there are two others who will join you,_ Aurora thought as she remembered Ironheart's words. _You are not in this battle alone…

* * *

_

Several hours later-

"Mr. Pegasus?" Aurora stepped into the quiet office and looked around. Her senses kept her on high alert as she made her way to his desk. Papers seemed to be in order, but an odd card caught her attention. Cautiously she picked it up from the desk and turned it over. She gasped at the sight of Pegasus' face in the middle of the Orichalcos symbol on the card.

"As you can see, Mr. Pegasus is unable to meet with you."

She spun around, her heart leaping into her throat at the voice. "Theron."

"Aurora. It's been so long."

"Not long enough. I never expectd to see you hanging out around here."

"Pegasus and I had a business meeting of sorts. But as you can see, an associate of mine got the better of him." Theron slowly approached her and she made certain to keep the desk between them.

"I don't understand. What could Pegasus have that you would find of any use. He lost his Millennium Eye long ago."

"Yes, the poor unfortunate soul… Seems he had other important knowledge that would prove useful."

"And you can't find it, can you? Figures that would be why you stuck around. Hoping someone would come along to help you." Aurora cast a smirk in his direction. "Sorry Theron, seems the rest of the office is on vacation at the moment. Just you and me. And I can't help you."

"Can't, or won't?"

"Can't; he didn't tell me anything when he sent for me."

"And if he did?"

"You know very well I would never tell you. So," she lowered her gaze a moment before losing her playful manner. "Shall we carry on with the fight? Or do we just continue to dance around the desk?"

"You should know I am not a dancer."

Aurora chuckled softly. "Oh come on, live a little. Have some fun."

Theron leaned closer to her, forcing her to bend back over the desk. "I fully intend to have a great deal of fun," he growled at her, placing a hand on both sides of her. "The best day of my life is at hand, my dear."

Her smile faded as she gripped the edge of the desk and turned her head away. "The day you discovered mouthwash? Sweet Ra in the Heavens, your breath is foul, Theron." Closing her eyes to prepare herself for the pain, Aurora slammed her head against his, crying out as he backed away and she slid from the desk and out of his way. "Whatever you are planning, know that I won't let it happen."

"You won't have a chance to stop it, you little bitch. Everything has been set into motion. The pawns are in play and nothing will get in the way." Theron held his hand over his forehead as he glared at her. "Whatever this man had, I will learn one way or another."

"Well, obviously you can't ask him about it now, can you? Perhaps you should think things through a little more. Spare you the trouble of screwing up yet another plan." She steadied herself, prepared for another attack as he snarled at her words. She eased only when he disappeared, leaving her alone in the office.

Shaking her head, she began to search the office again. "There is a reason Theron was here. Pegasus, what do you have that he wants…" Her fingers slid over his desk. Her eyes widened when she heard a soft click and a hidden drawer popped open. Inside was a package. "What in the world…" She picked up the package and turned it over in her hands. "Addressed to Yugi… Pegasus, what did you know? What does it have to do with Yugi?" She stared at the package a moment longer before tucking it under her arm and heading out of the office.

"I don't entirely know what's going on, but the only way to find out is to make sure this package gets to Yugi and fast."

* * *

A/N: Okay, okay, you can all kill me later. I can't apologize enough. I am trying to get through the next chapter so it doesn't take so long to get out. Hopefully if not tonight, late tomorrow it will be ready... And they will be in America... that's where things get fun... maybe... 


	4. Engarde! Seto Kaiba

Okay... trying to get this one up now as time runs so short... Procrastination is a bad thing of mine lately.. I am distracted way to easily... Apologies just don't seem to be enough anymore... Unfortunately it's all I can offer...

* * *

**Chapter 4  
Engarde! Seto Kaiba...**

"What exactly happened, Dartz?"

"A small set back, Lord Theron. Nothing we can't correct. The more souls we take, the more powerful the Leviathan grows. You will see. Once The Great Leviathan has enough souls, no one will stop it from swallowing this world. No one."

"The teen who controlled that dragon seemed to do a pretty good job of stopping you." Theron chided calmly as he leaned against a nearby wall. He folded his arms over his chest and arched a skeptical eyebrow in Dartz's direction.

"Yes, it does seem the Pharaoh holds the Power of the Dragon. It is only a minor setback that I shall deal with later," Dartz returned as he continued to stare at the carvings on the temple wall. "Raphael!" Theron turned toward the door as heavily booted footfalls sounded on the stone floor.

"Yes, Master Dartz?" Rapheal stopped at a set of stairs and bowed before his Master. "I know what to do. I'll find the Pharaoh, and this time, I'll make sure we drain his Power to feed the Great Beast, sir."

Dartz kept his back to him. "Why don't you try listening first, you fool? It's really a wonderful skill to master. And when you have mastered it," Dartz scolded, spinning around to face his servant. "You will know that we need more than just the Pharaoh's soul." Theron's ears picked up the sound of more footsteps and he glanced across the room as a man with chin length, red hair became visible.

"Then we'll deal with the others, too," the newcomer vowed. "I'll take Kaiba."

"I got me eye on someone, too," another voice added as a brown haired teen entered the room. "That fiesty, little, bloke, Joey Wheeler. He should be fun to take apart," he continued with a light chuckle.

"I know why you're after Wheeler," the red head snapped. Theron arched his eyebrow again, idly turning to drink in the scene as the brown haired one frowned.

"Mind your own business, Allister," he snapped back, folding his arms defensively in front of his chest. He moved to point a finger at him. "What about you?" Raphael looked back and forth between his commrades. "Why the sudden interest in Kaiba?"

"Look," Allister snarled, turning away from the pointing finger. "I have my reasons, _Valon._"

"Really?"

"Knock it off!" Raphael commanded darkly. "We're in the presence of Master Dartz and Lord Theron." Valon turned away from Allister and raised a hand in a show of loyalty to Dartz. Theron shook his head.

"Your Pharaoh and his friends are headed for America as we speak to meet with the one you were watching," he informed them.

"Pegasus," Raphael murmured.

"And to think I called you a bad listener," Dartz chided again.

"They still have no clue that you have already dealt with him," Theron continued. "They will be all yours for the taking."

"Exactly, so you best get back there before they do and make ready for them," Dartz instructed.

"Yes, Master," the three replied with another bow of their heads before standing and leaving the room to get ready.

"Let's see how this little meeting will go…" Theron murmuered as he, too, turned to leave.

"Oh, trust me. They are in for a surprise that will rock their world," Dartz promised with a grin.

* * *

"This was the last security tape we could find, Ms. Hart." 

"Thank you, leave it on the desk." She stared out the window until the guard had gone from the room before turning and gazing down at the tape. "Whatever happened here… It should be on that tape." With a sigh, she picked up the tape and went to a cabinet where she found a TV and VCR. The screen was fuzzy at first as it set itself up, but soon, Aurora saw the familiar face of Pegasus behind his desk.

"How can it be that the beautiful monsters I made so popular can be turned to ruin cities all over the world?" He asked himself as he ran his hands through his hair. "Please Yugi, hurry…"

"Do ya always talk to yourself?" The curtains billowed out behind him and he turned to see the owner of the voice. "You gotta get yourself some friends, honey." Aurora squinted at the screen trying to recognize the shadowed figure outside his window.

"But how did you get passed my security?" Pegaus asked the stranger.

"Security's weak, babe. Let's say you and I play a little game…" Aurora's eyes widened when the shadowed figure came into view.

"Mai Valetine? It can't be…" She watched as they proceeded to duel with Mai playing the Seal to take her victory. "At least I know how it happened now," she sighed as she switched the video off. "Pegasus said that he hoped Yugi hurried here. That means he is on his way. Knowing Theron, a trap has been set…" She stood straighter, her eyes narrowed. She glanced down at a folder she had placed on his desk. Inside was the code to another room in which Pegasus had prepared a special gift for Yugi upon his arrival. "I'll go and make sure everything is secure."

The trip was made in silence as she made her way down the hall. With a sigh, she checked the coded lock box one last time. Satisfied that it was stable and ready she began to head back. She stopped only when she heard her cell phone go off.

"Hello? Oh hey, Saph… Yes, everything is as can be expected right now. You have made the appointment?... Good, I'll take one of Pegsus' jets to Florida to meet with Professor Hawkins. I would like to see more of the information he has collected about this Atlantis. Thank you. Talk to you later." A fresh look of determination fell into her eyes as she made her was to the elevator. She reached for a communicator and pressed a tiny button.

"Croquet? Yes, see that the jet is made ready for Florida. I must leave immediately."

"Yes, Ms. Hart, right away."

"And Croquet? Once I am gone, see to it that you and everyone else here goes home. Things are about to happen and I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"But, Ms. Hart-"

"I mean it Croquet. Once I am gone, take the others and get out."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She shook her head as she ended the communication. "Now if he listens to me, at least he and many others will be spared. If he doesn't, then I guess that is his choice."

* * *

"I thought I told you to hold all my calls!" Seto shouted as he stood at his desk. Sanura looked up from her laptop with an arched eyebrow. The poor man being hollared at carried a look of fear in his eyes as he stood and took the verbal abuse being thrown at him. "Now for the last time, do not patch any calls to me and tell those damn reporters that Kaiba Corp is not responsible in any way for all these monster sitings! Don't let me see you back in here again until they are gone!" 

As bad as she felt for the lacky, she understood Seto's frustration. Ever since she arrived at the American branch of Kaiba Corp, she had learned to not go anywhere alone. The reporters flocked around her like moths to a flame. They all still insisted that Kaiba Corp was instrumental in creating the monsters that were bent on destroying the world. No evidence she or Seto could offer seemed to be enough proof to defend the company.

"Someone is trying to make a fool out of me and my company. That has to be it. A scheme of one of my rivals. But which one?" He sat behind his desk, his hands folded in front of his face as he thought. Sanura watched him a moment before returning to her laptop. Several keystrokes later, neither one of them was any closer to an answer. Seto growled and Sanura sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. She looked over at Seto again when he turned to his intercom.

"Roland, I need an update on our investigation. Are there any new leads?"

"No, nothing yet, sir."

"Has there been any word from Industrialist Illusions?"

"No, sir, nothing."

"Contact them immediately. I want answers and I want them now!"

"Yes, sir." Sanura watched him silently as Seto turned to face his large, picture window overlooking the city. She knew he was barely holding on to his temper. It both relieved her and worried her at the same time. She knew he had been ready to announce the news of his latest project. A project he was certain would help to rebuild the reputation of Kaiba Corp he thought had become tainted by his defeat in Battle City. With another frustrated sigh, she glanced down at her laptop screen. Their silence was interrupted when Mokuba burst through the doors.

"Seto! Check out our database!" Seto frowned and faced his little brother before doing as he was requested as Mokuba explained his urgency. "There's someone out there buying up on every share of our company!"

"What?" Sanura murmured in shock, striking a few keys to pull up the stock pages on her own computer.

"That's impossible!" Seto exclaimed furiously as he stared at the screen.

"Mr. Kaiba, if these numbers are correct, almost half of Kaiba Corp was just bought out by one person," Sanura informed him, her shock resonating in her voice. "Even more, they are still buying!"

"How can that be?" Seto growled.

"What are we gonna do?" Mokuba asked him quietly.

"We have to stop them," Seto told him evenly. "If they continue to purchase any more shares, they can take control over the entire company. I can't allow that." He was silent a moment before his fingers tapped on the keys once more. "There is only one person capable of doing something like this," he muttered as his phone rang. A death glare was turned to the phone before he answered it. The video feed to his phone clicked on and Sanura frowned as Pegasus appeared on the other end.

"Kaiba-boy, I've missed you."

"So, it _was_ you," Seto scowled at the aristocratic face.

"I'm afraid I'm guilty as charged. It looks like we're partners now. This is going to be so much fun!"

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This company's mine!"

"Oh, come on, you're always so uptight, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus returned with a grin. "Why don't you treat yourself to a nice vacation?"

Seto's composeur snapped. "_Enough_! I will _never_ let a snake like you wrap yourself around my company!"

"Oh, relax, I don't want your _company_. I only needed it to gain the upper hand so I could force you to do something for me. Plus I was bored and it was fun." Sanura's frown deepened at Pegasus' words as she stood to approach Mokuba and Seto at the video phone. Pegasus continued his taunting.

"You see, since both of our reputations are at stake thanks to these pesky monsters, I thought we could boost up our image by dueling each other."

You must be out of you mind, Pegasus!"

_When was he ever _in_ his mind?_ Sanura could not help but think with a shake ofe her head.

"Should I take that as a no?" Pegasus taunted with a smirk. "I'd reconsider if I were you. Because if not, I'll buy the rest of Kaiba Corp and take it apart piece by pathetic little piece. So, tell me… What's it gonna be? Can I count on you for a rematch? Or do I just proceed with plan B?"

"Now hold on!"

"I need an answer Kiaba-boy. Tick tock, tick tock…"

"What are you going to do?" Mokuba asked as Seto closed his eyes.

Opening his eyes, a look of determination and regret filled his gaze. "You have yourself a duel Pegasus."

"I thought you'd see things my way, so I set up an arena for us at Duelist Kingdom for old time's sake. Don't forget to bring the Blue Eyes White Dragons," he responded with a wave before the video feed died. Seto dropped the phone back in it's cradle with a grunt.

"You okay?" Mokuba asked soflty as another growl sounded from his brother's throat. Sanura placed her hands on Mokuba's shoulders to keep him still as he tried once more to get through to him. "Seto?" His brother refused to answer as he stepped from behind his desk and headed for the door. Mokuba looked up at Sanura before leaving her to follow him.

"Make sure Kiaba One is ready, Miss. Hart. Have it's course plotted for Duelist Kingdom."

She blinked a moment before going to her desk. "Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

* * *

A/N Okay... more changes are due ahead... Fair warning... This is going to be really interesting to try to work out for me... A sinus head cold isn't helping... --" 


	5. Rivals United and Divided

**Okay... I know this isn't anywhere near as long as other chapters I have written, nor is it as creatively detailed. I wanted to get something up to prove that I haven't forgotten about this little series of mine. An explanation for my disappearance was given in my profile, but in case you missed it, I had taken time off to work on a novel for publish. It will be available to purchase online in June of this year and I will include that information on my profile as well when I have it. I thank you for your patience with me during my haitus. That being said, there is a change in the copyright announcements...**

**I don't own YGO or it's characters. Money and rights are soley the copyright of their creator.**

**I DO however own the rights to Aurora, Sapphira, Natara, Bryant, Dorian, Theron, and Shadow- I do make money from these characters alone so they are not up for others to steal. **

* * *

**Rivals United and Divided**

"I am going to make this quick," Seto told them as the jet landed safetly at Duelist Kingdom. "I don't have the time or the patience for him today… Or any day for that matter." The doors opened and they all climbed out. Seto took hold of his dueling briefcase. "Sanura, you and Aiden stay here with the jet."

"I'm going with you," Mokuba told him in a tone that said nothing was going to stop him. Seto nodded and they started toward the castle.

"His highness must be hiding out in there somewhere," Seto muttered, opening the doors to the castle. The halls were eerily silent and empty. Mokuba frowned as he looked inside.

"Maybe he gave everyone the day off?"

"Good, that means there'll be less people around to get on my neerves. Come on, let's get this over with," Seto growled, moving forward into the castle. Sanura watched until the doors closed before leaning aginst the jet and folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Good luck…"

Several minutes passed without sight of the CEO and his brother. Sanura checked her watch and glanced over at the castle again. Aiden stepped down out of the jet and sat near her on the walkway.

"Hey, you're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yes, I have a bad feeling about this." At that moment, a strange green light broke through the castle ceiling and lit up the sky. Sanura dropped her arms and stood straight, staring at it in wonder.

"What is that?"

"I don't know. That is what worries me."

"Give him about five more minutes. If he hasn't come out by then,. We can go in after him," Adrian suggested. Sanura nodded and continued to stare up at the light. Five minutes went by and Sanura shook her head.

"I can't wait any longer. Stay here, Aiden. I'm going in after hi-" A thunderous roar silenced her words and she spun toward the castle again.

"That didn't sound like any Blue Eyes White Dragons, I've heard before…"

"That's because it wasn't," Sanura returned tensely. "The question is, was the dragon Mr. Kaiba's… or Pegasus'? There was the sound of an explosion and another large flash of light shot from the castle to the sky.

"Is it over?" Aiden asked.

"This isn't over!" A voice sounded from the castle. "I'll be back! And you'll _pay _for what your father did to me!" Sanura and Aiden looked at each other in shock before they heard the footsteps of the Kaiba brothers exiting the castle. Seto looked at Sanura and she nodded, not needing to be told that he was ready to go. Silently they all boarded the jet and Seto took the controls.

Mokuba's face bore signs of shock and confusion, but he said nothing as he stared at his brother. He never even turned when she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. They both watched as Seto stared at a card in his hand. It was a card Sanura had never seen before.

_The Fang of Critias?_ She wondered. _What is that card? Where did he get it? What does his having it mean?_

"Where do you think Allister went?" Mokuba asked weakly.

"I don't know," Seto responded coldly. "Frankly, I don't care."

"But, Seto… Aren't you worried he'll come back for revenge? You heard him. He has the power to steal souls."

_The power to steal souls?_ Sanura wondered, her teeth lightly nipping at her lower lip. _Who is this Allister?_

"Oh please, you actually believed all that? Allister was just a psycho who wanted a shot at beating a _real_ duelist. There's no way he had any "magic powers."

"But, Seto, that seal thing he played seemed pretty real to me." Mokuba watched him quietly as Seto thought over his words. Sanura was distracted from their conversation as an alert sounded on her phone. Looking down she noted the email notice and punched the numbers into her cell to read the message.

"Mr. Kaiba, it seems we have received word from HQ. You are requested back," she informed him.

"I am the president and what I say goes. What I am saying now is we are heading to San Fransico to pay a little visit to Industrial Illusions," Seto returned evenly as the jet lifted from the ground.

Sanura nodded and took her seat with a heavy mind. Her whole soul shook withthe feeling of darkness nearby. Glancing out the window, she suddenly wished she could just be home in her bed sound asleep. She turned when she caught sight of Mokuba reaching for a laptop and begin striking several keys. A white error screen flashed up and Mokuba frowned.

"I can't seem to reach Pegasus," he commented idly as he tried again.

"I don't doubt it. Whoever Allister is working for must have already gotten his hands on Pegasus. They will be expecting me to follow."

"But... doesn't that mean we are headed right or a trap, Seto?"

"That's what they think. Remember, Mokuba, I am always one step aead of the competition. Always."

Sanura's gaze caught site of a card in his hands. It was one she had never seen before and did not recognize from his card database. She caught the intense look on his face and found herself wondering what he was thinking.

_Could that have been the dragon Aiden and I heard at the castle? Where did he get it and just how powerful _is_ it?" _Her eyes widened when the card suddenly seemed to spark to life, a soft light enveloping it. As Sanura watched, Seto turned stiff, his eyes locked open, transfixed by the light. The hum of the jets filled the cabin as she, Aiden, and Mokuba watched on in slence. After a moment, Seto's eyes blinked and he shook his head. He glanced over to see Mokuba gazing curiously up at him.

"Did you notice a light?"

"A light?"

"Did you notice anythng strange just now?"

"You mean, besides how you are acting?"

"Never mind," Seto grumbled, turning his attention back to the flight.

Sanura realized with a start that she was the only one, aside from Seto himself, who had noticed the light. She could not for the life of her figure out why, and the questions plagued her still as Seto landed the Blue Eyes jet and opened the doors. She followed out of the jet behind Seto and Mokuba, Aiden helping to steady her as her feet touched the ground.

"Whoa, it's a party." Duke Devlin fingered his die earring as he glanced at them through the opening doors.

Seto rolled his eyes and folded his arms in front of his chest at the sight of Yami and the others. "Oh great, the dweeb convention must have come to town."

"What are you guys doing here?" Mokuba asked.

"Pegasus invited us," Yami answered calmly. "He said he needed our help."

"Have you even seen Pegasus?" Seto returned coolly.

"Haven't exactly had the time to find anyone," Tristan countered with a growl as he comforted Joey. "Mai got to him and stole his soul before we even got here."

Seto rolled his eyes and turned away from them as Yami addressed him.

"Kaiba, have you had any experience with a Seal of Orichalcos card?"

"You bet he has, and he wiped the floor wth the guy that played it, too," Mokuba bragged brightly. His expression turned colder as he added, "The creep pretended to be Pegasus to trick my brother into going to Duelist Kingdom for a duel."

"The guy ran off when the pressure got to be too much," Seto finished. "Since he ran off, I had to come here to get answers. The man responsible for taking Pegasus is also trying to gain control of my company. _That_ I cannot allow to have happen."

Yami turned thoughtful as he reached into his deck case and pulled out a card with an image of a key. "Perhaps this is a clue to whatever is going on around here then."

"You know..." Duke leaned over Yami's shoulder to look at the card. "When I cracked into the security to unlock the doors, there was one door that remained locked.

"Where? Take me to it immediately!"

Duke arched a skeptical eyebrow before shrugging Seto's outburst off and turning toward the stairway. Sanura watched them go, knowing she and Aiden were to stay back with the jet. With a sigh, she leaned back against the walkway and tilted her head back with her eyes closed. She could feel Aiden's gaze drifting over her bronzed skin, but she paid it no mind. She was feeling more and more exhausted, yet felt that the adventure was just beginning.

"Who knew working for Kaiba would be so... so... " she frowned.

"At a loss for words?"

"Yeah, something like that." She straightened and reached for her cell phone hoping to locate her mother. "Hey, mom? Do you have any idea what is going on?... Yes, we are here now and he isn't... They are not sure... said something about a locked room... Oh?... Okay, thanks. See you soon, I'm sure."

"What did she say?" Aiden asked as she clicked the phone shut.

"She said, there is a lot she still is unsure of, but she is trying to figure it out. We will all be meeting up in the same place here shortly was all she really let me know."

"You have a unique family, Miss. Hart."

Sanura stared into the building as the group returned to them. Her eyes glanced over Yami and she gave a soft sigh. "Trust me... of that, I've no doubt..."

"So we have ta find dis Dartz guy to save Mai?"

"We can only hope, Joey. All we know is that he may be the one who is behind all this," Yami answered calmly.

"It still does not help us to know just how he is doing what he is doing... if he is doing it," Tea added.

"You are all insane if you expect me to beliece some crackpot is able to use 'magic' to bring the cards to life in an attempt to destroy the world," Seto grumbled. "Now if you excuse me I have a company to save."

"This is not always about you, Kaiba!" Yami shouted after him as he began to walk away. "You have the third dragon. We have to fight together to bring an end to all this chaos and distruction. Sometimes you just have to consider that others may need your help. May need you. Together we can stop this."

"Together, you'll send me to the nut house. No, I will let you have your little adventure. I am going back to my office."

Sanura bit back her sigh as Seto passed her. Glancing over at Aiden, she saw the same frustrated look hidden in is eyes. She took her seat and gazed out the window again to catch Yami's curious eyes. They stared a moment, both completely lost to their silence. She vaguely took notice of Seto telling Mokuba that they would be changing aircrafts before she closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

"_Aurora... was I really a slave to the darkness? Was I an evil king?"  
_

_"No, Yami, you were never an evil king. You were a fair and just king. You must never lose sight of that."_

_"Aurora... I miss you... I need you..." _

_His fingers reached up an threaded themselves through the silken strands of her hair as he leaned closer. Her breath caught and her heart began to race as her vision was filled with crimson light. She felt the gentle, yet hesitant touch of his lips brushing hers. Against all reason, she returned the kiss. All the emotions she had kept bottled up over the years threatened to overwhelm her as he pulled her closer, his arms wrapping securely around her. A moan was muffled between their kiss as she shuddered under the force of her pent up need. She held tighter to him as he shifted to lay her back upon the soft earth. He whispered her name as his lips explored her neck and shoulders, his voice growing louder with each kiss. Her eyes blinked open when he began to shake her...

* * *

_

"Aurora! Wake up!"

Aurora groaned and her eyes fluttered open as she lifted her head from the table to see Sapphira's jade green eyes staring down at her.

"I swear you work too hard, my friend."

"Sapphira... this had better be good..."

"Dream was getting to be that intense, huh?" Sapphira smirked only a moment before growing serious again. "Aurora, the news reported Professor Hawkin's house just exploded."

Aurora snapped awake and stood sharply. "Did they say if anyone was hurt?"

"There was no word. They are still looking into it- hey! Aurora!" Sapphira reached out as her friend darted to the door, grabbing her cloak on her way out. With a sigh, she shook her head. "That girl is lucky she's an immortal. A mortal woman would have driven herself to an early grave."

"At least she is keeping us mostly informed this time."

Sapphira smiled half-heartedly at her violet-eyed friend as Natara leaned against the wall. "Yeah, we all wouldn't be here with her if she didn't."

"Think we should go after her?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt."

The girls straightened and grabbed their own cloaks as they headed out the door.

* * *

Aurora listened silently as Rebecca told the others where Yugi had gone. Her eyes darkened suspiciously when she heard about the deal to duel for the professor. When Duke, Joey, and Tristan drove off to find him, she closed her eyes, concentrating on his presence. She gave a soft sigh and shook her head before calling upon her Power to disappear, reappearing upon one of the cliffs overlooking the duel. Her heart froze when she caught the dark glaze over Yami's eyes, the mark of the Orichalcos glowing on his forehead.

"Sweet Ra, what has he done..."

* * *

**I promise a longer chapter next time. Now that my novel is finished, I can find a little more time to get more written on this. So hopefully you will see another addition here soon.**


	6. Souls Divided

**Wow... Two chapters in one day... How do I rate lol. Might be the last one I do today though. **

**YGO characters are not mine, I do not claim.**

**I DO however own the rights to Aurora, Sapphira, Natara, Bryant, Dorian, Sanura, Aiden, Theron, and Shadow- I do make money from these characters alone so they are not up for others to steal. **

* * *

**Souls Divided**

"The Seal will reveal your true self, Pharaoh," Aurora heard Yami's opponent tell him. "It will reveal whether you are truly good or evil."

A grim look of anger masked Yami's face as he stood against the gruff-looking man across from him. It changed to a look of astonishment when Timaeus disappeared from his side of the field. "What have you done, Raphael?" He shouted angrily.

"It's not what I've done, Pharaoh. Timaeus and the Orichalcos don't mix, like light from darkness. Your darkness forced your legendary dragon off the field."

Yami growled as a dark red light flashed in his eyes. "You were a fool to hand me this card, Raphael!"

Aurora felt her own eyes darken as she watched them. "No, Yami," she whispered. "You were the fool who played it..." She continued to watch as Yami seemed to forget about the Heart of the Cards. He recklessly sacrificed monsters right and left in his attempt to regain control of the duel. His smirk become a cruel sneer that Aurora found herself shocked and frustrated at seeing.

"It is because of the Seal of Orichalcos that my creatures have their strength. It is the Seal giving me the power to destroy you and end this duel!"

"You are wrong, Pharaoh," Raphael returned coolly. "It is not the Seal giving you this Power. It is the darkness that has always been a apart of you."

"It doesn't matter where the Power comes from," Yami countered, a part of him still trying to deny the darkness he felt growing within. "The fact of the matter is that it is mine now, and I will use it as I need to in order to end this! Kuribabylon, attack Guardian Grarl!" His monster did as it was ordered and the effect destroyed Raphael's Purity of the Graveyard. "Now, Dark Magician, attack him directly!" He growled when the attack is repelled by Raphael's Aid to the Doomed magic card.

"Yugi!"

Yami, Raphael, and Aurora all turned toward the voices calling to their friend as Duke, Joey, and Tristan arrived, sliding down the side of a cliff, landing beside Rex and Weevil. Yami and Raphael returned to their duel as Aurora watched the group on the cliff. A fight had broken out,but quickly ended when Joey realized Yami had played the Seal. Disbelief and denial filled his eyes, as well as another emotion that Aurora found herself feeling in the pit of her heart. A disappointed betrayal.

"So, Pharaoh, how does it feel to know that, all this time, you have been hiding your true self?" Raphael asked him with grim amusement in his eyes. "You derive your Power from darkness and you always have."

"You thought I would not be able to handle the Orichalcos so well, but you were wrong Raphael. Your soul is on the line here and I am going to mke you regret ever giving me this card!"

"I have no worries," his opponent returned evenly. His face showed no fear as he stood strong against Yami and his attacks. "I have complete trust in my monsters. Now Iactivate Monster Reborn to revive my Guardian Grarl."

"I destroyed that monster once, I shall do it again," Yami vowed only to growl as Raphael placed a card face down and activated Swords of Revealing Light to stop him from attacking for three turns. "That won't top me, Raphael," he countered, drawing for his turn. "I sacrifice Big Sheild Gardna to summon Catapult Turtle. Thanks to it's ability, I can sacrifice one of my monsters to inflict damage to your Life Points directly. Since it isn't an actual attack, it cannot be affected by the Swords of Revealing Light."

"You are going to have to wait on that, Pharaoh," Raphael informed him as he revealed a face down card. "I activate Limit Tribute so you can only sacrifice one monster per turn. You made one sacrifice to summon that turtle. Your next sacrfice cannot happen this turn."

"Fine then, my turn has ended," Yami said with a scowl.

Aurora'sheart sank with every turn of the card as she watched Yami sacrifice his most treasured monster with a scornful, "he's useless to me now, anyway." _This is not him. This is not the Pharaoh I knew. This is not the Pharaoh I loved... That ... That seal has changed him. He will regret his choices._ Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back as he scored another hit against Raphael. The vision in her mind told her the outcome, but she knew there was nothing she could do to change it. She watched helplessly as the last turn came around. She could feel the anger and disappointment radiating from a silent Joey as he watched. Tristan and Duke cheered their friend, but Joey shook his head, standing and raising his voice to be heard.

"Dat's not Yugi." He glared down at the field as Yami turned to face him. Aurora caught the confusion in his eyes and waited for Joey to continue.

"What do you mean, Joey?" Duke asked him, his head tilted in surprise. "He's winning, you should be cheering."

"Not for dat, I won't. He taught me the meaning of a True Duelist. To believe in the Heart of the Cards. He's been brainwashed by dat Seal. He acts like Power is all dat he wants. A True Duelist wouldn't sacrifice his monsters right and left without care for a victory like dat."

"I tried to tell you," Raphael laughed darkly. "The Seal would reveal the truth. Your Pharaoh is dark. Pure evil. He cares for nothing and no one but his own gain. He trapped himself by his own selfish need for Power."

Aurora felt the low growl in the back of her throat as she listened to Raphael's lies. When Yami asked him what he was talking about, Raphael forced him to take another look at his monsters.

"Once they were pure, but you have made them evil shadow creatures."

Yami stared at his own monsters in shock. There was a moment of silence where he began to realize what he had done. "You tricked me!" He shouted angrily.

"I did not force you to play the Seal of Orichalcos, Pharaoh," Raphael returned evenly, almost smugly. "You played it even at the cost of losing Timaeu. Face it, Pharaoh, your lust for power had you destroy a very valuable monster."

Yami watched in shock asRaphael made his play and called forth his Guardian Eatos. Aurora turned her eyes from the sky, lowering her gaze to the ground as Raphael called forth Yami's graveyard monsters and ordered him to look them in the eyes.

"Look deep into their eyes and see the betrayal you have shown them, Pharaoh. You are the one who did this by selfishly sacrificng them and letting your rage take over."

"No, I'm sorry. I never meant to - Please forgive me!"

The monsters faded and their power was absorbed by Guadrian Eatos' sword bringing the guardian's attack points to ten thousand. In a brillant flash of light, the last of Yami's monsters were destroyed and his Life Points depleted. Yami fell to his knees as the Seal began to close in on him. Aurora struggled with her instinct to go to him, but she was held back by two hands on her arms.

"He did this to himself, Aurora," Sapphira reminded her friend sadly.

"He has to face the consequences of his actions," Natara added softly, her eyes grave.

Aurora turned back to the field as she heard Yami's self loathing scream before the Seal encased him and he fell to the ground. She and her friends were distracted by the suden whip of wind as a helicopter flew over the chasm. Raphael picked Yami up from the ground and hoped unto a rope ladder tossed down to him. As they flew up and over Yami's friends, he dropped the limp body onto them with a laugh.

"Be ready, Wheeler, your soul is next!" He promised as he climbed up the rest of the ladder and flew off.

"Will he be all right?" Nataraasked Aurora quietly as they watched his friends try to wake him.

Aurora said nothing, her eyes glued to the scene before them. She watched his eyes open and felt his instant pain. He tore away from his friends, running toward the edge of the cliff and falling to his knees, tears streaming down his face. His guilt overwhelmed him and ate away at what was left of his soul.

"Hey, Yuge... You made it, it's all right," Joey told him softly.

"No!" Yami shouted, furiously slamming his fists into the ground. "No, Raphael succeeded. Yugi is gone, and it's my fault!"

Aurora gasped, reeling backward and bringing a hand to her heart. _No! Not Yugi... no_...

"I don't get it," Joey pressed. "How can you be talking to us if dat jerk took your soul?"

"Not mine," Yami admitted in a halted voice. "Yugi's." He let out an anguished cry that echoed throughout the canyon and jolted Aurora's spirit. "Yugi! Come back! It should have been me! Not you! It should have been me!" He bowed his head to the ground, his body trembling violently with his tears. "It should have been me..."

Aurora watched on a moment longer before turning and walking away.

"Aurora? Where are you going?" Sapphira asked, following her. "Aren't you going to help him?"

"He must deal with this. There is nothing I can do to help ease his guilt. He did this. He has to get passed it if he is to succeed in this battle," she told her friend with a tearful sounding voice.

"So what do we do now?" Natara hesitantly prodded.

"We go to Florida."

"Florida?"

"Yes, Florida. The information Professor Hawkins had in his home was distroyed. But there were copies at a museum in Florida. That is where we can hopefully get the information we are seeking to get this mess cleaned up." She paused once more to glance back down at the broken form of her husband's spirit and closed her eyes. "We have to release Yugi's souls, and the souls of the others. Only then can we defeat Theron's evil creature and stop Dartz from succeeding in the plan he tried to uphold ten thousand years ago..."

* * *

Lord Theron's eyes glanced up at the large double doors as they opened and Raphael and Allister appeared with two younger teens behind them. He arched an eyebrow at the business man lounging in his office chair sipping his cocktail.

"Mission accomplished, Master Dartz," Raphael reported as he lowered to one knee in an act of respect. "The strongest soul on Earth has been captured." He stood again and waited for the older gentleman to speak.

"You fool," Dartz returned coldly, slowly turning in his chair to face them. is blue and gold eyes flashed. "Once again, you have managed to fail me."

"No, Master. That is not possible," Raphael stuttered, trying to make sense of what he was being told.

Valon rolled his eyes as he entered the room, one arm wrapped up in a sling. "That's right, the soul of the Pharaoh is still out there." He nodded to a screen flashing on behind Dartz as a picture of the temple became visual and the latest carving of Yugi appeared.

"It's a clear case of mistaken identity, Raphael," Dartz explained.

"Seems you captured that innocent Yugi's soul instead of the Pharaoh's," Valon added smugly.

"But how?" Raphael asked, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Both souls inhabit one body," Dartz explained farther, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table. Theron folded his arms in front of his chest as he listened. "You just captured the wrong one."

"That's not possible," Raphael argued. "I know it was the Pharaoh I was facing, the Seal should have captured him, not the weaker one."

"If you hadn't been such an imbecile, you would have noticed it right away, Raphael. You would have seen that while you did, indeed, defeat the Pharaoh, it was the soul of his vessel that was captured instead. The Pharaoh, himself, is just fine."

"Please, Master Dartz, if you give me the chance, I will fix this."

Lord Theron glanced around the room as Dartz took notice of the newcommers. Growing bored, he took his leave and exited the room. He had better things to do than listen to a couple of sniveling brats whimper about wanting to be the best duelists. He knew they would be put to the test soon enough, but he no longer wanted to play things Dartz's way. He was tired of waiting. The Laviathan was rightfully his and he deserved full control over it. To have to wait till this fool had his fun was wearing thin on his nerves.

"This had better not take much longer," he muttered as he stalked down the hall.

* * *

"Kaiba Corp, how may I help you?" Sanura closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba has no comment at this time." She pressed a button to disconnect the call and stood to stretch, rubbing gently at her temples to ease a threatening headache. She could hear Seto at his desk blaming Pegasus for the recent plumment of Kaiba Corp stocks and felt her head drop.

"What if it isn't Pegasus, Seto?" Mokuba asked when his brother hung up the phone. "What if it was this Alister guy? He blames Kaiba Corp for what happened to his brother." He shrugged. "If I were him, I'd probably blame this company, too. Besides," he added, looking up. "Pegasus was captured so he couldn't be behind it."

"Not that magic nonesense again," Seto groaned. "I may not know about all that, but you do bring up a good point about Alister. Either way, if we are going to get Kaiba Corporation and Kaiba Land back and in progress, we have to take Doma down."

Sanura glanced at her desk as the phone rang again. Resisting the urge to sigh again, she answered the phone. "Kaiba Corp, how can I help you?" She blinked and straightened with a frown as she turned to face Seto. "Mr. Wheeler on the phone for you sir?"

Seto returned her shocked expression with one of cold reluctance. "What could he want? Go ahead and put him through."

"He actually took my call?" Joey's voice could be heard as the call came up on Seto's video phone.

"It works better if you aren't so close, Joey," Mokuba informed him as he stood beside Seto at his desk.

"Make it quick, Wheeler."

"Sure thing, Kaiba. We got some clues on those biker guys you might find interesting."

Seto grew annoyed when it became apparent that Joey was not going to continue. "Did you call just to be a royal pain in my ass again, or are you going to tell me what you found out?"

"Nah, I'm not gonna give it up dat easily, Mr. Hotshot. But maybe if you could give us a lift to Florida, I can fill ya in on da way. You see the crees defeated Yugi and took his so- hey!" There was the sound of a scuffle as Tea tried to shut him up, but the damage had been done.

"What do you mean, stole his soul?" Mokuba asked.

Sanura stood at the door, listening in stunned shock. _They defeated him? Stole his soul?_

"Ahh, just forget about all that soul stuff," Tristan tried to cover. "Kaiba doesn't believe in all that magic stuff anyway..."

Sanura started when Seto let out and explosive shout, slamming his fist onto his desk at the sight of a depressed Yami.

"Yugi _lost_!? You mean he gave his crown to some _nobody?!_ No one deserves that title but me!"

"Kaiba, wait-" Yami started before he was rudely interrupted by Seto's rage.

"You are a disgrace to the game, Yugi! A disgrace!" He slammed the phone down and the office fell into a tense silence as Seto tried to calm his quick breaths.

"Seto? Are you going to be okay?" Mokuba asked hesitantly.

"I'll be fine. But now they have given me even _more_ of a reason to hunt down and destroy those punks." He looked up at the door. "Miss. Hart, get Kaiba One ready to fly. We leave in fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir." Sanura turned and went to her desk to make the needed calls, her mind hardly touching on the task at hand. She was shocked by the news of Yugi's defeat. She could see the pain etched on the face of her father's spirit. As she thought moreof it,she could almost feel the same pain she had seen.

"Hey, Miss. Hart, you are pale. Are you all right?"

She looked up into golden eyes and felt herself begin to sway. Instantly, she felt strong arms surround her and ease her into her chair. She felt herhair rushed away from her face and the feel od a ceramic cup being pressed to her lips.

"It's okay, Miss. Hart. Just drink some water, it should help."

"Thank you, Mr. Winters," she said softly, regaining her composure. "It does help."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I shall be. Just need a moment." Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him again. "Have yourself ready, Mr. Winters. Mr. Kaiba is setting off again." He nodded and she watched him turn to leave. Tilting her head in thought, she was left with a terrible feeling in her heart. _Something about this trip just seems wrong... like something terrible is about to happen..._ Shaking off her thought, she stood and gathered her briefcase. Sanura turned as Seto and Mokuba left Seto's office and silently followed them out.

_Let's just hope that I am wrong..._


	7. Guilty Hearts

**le gasp! I live! And so does Eternal Love once more lol. I know I said by next month, but you all have been patiently waiting for far too long. Those who have caught up on my profile know why I have been so late. I want to get as much done as I can though as the next book needs to be made ready here so it can come out on time. **

**Anyway, thank you so much for pushing me as gently as you did and yet with such insistance I couldn't resist trying to make you all happy readers again. As now the plot gets even more interesting XD**

**Now without further adieu, Yami and the rest ofthe characters of YGO are not mine in any fashion. I make no money from them. However Aurora and her friends, children, and enemies are all copyright to me as I _DO_ make money from them. **

* * *

**Chapter 7  
Guilty Heart**

"You said you were able to get pictures of the carvings?" Aurora's lips were drawn tight as she listened to Bryant on the other end of the line. He had gone on ahead of them to try to secure things at the museum Professor Hawkins had left copies of his Atlantis research at. What he was telling her seemed promising, but she could not help but begin to think that it was all too easy. "You ran into no trouble at all?" She sighed. "Okay, we will all meet you down there shortly. Keep on your guard."

The wind whipped around her, setting her on edge. There was a feel upon the air that she was uncertain and cautious about. At first she thought she had to prepare herself for a face to face with Lord Theron again, but as she focused her concentration, she realized the presence was not threatening.

"I know you are here. Show yourself."

"Seems we meet again, Ms. Hart."

Aurora blinked and turned slightly to her right to see the ghostly appearance of Chris and her grandfather. "So it does. What can I do to help you?"

Ironheart bowed his head slightly. "I can sense your disappointment. Your friend made a mistake during his last duel. He suffers greatly for it."

Aurora's heart sunk and her eyes stung. When she spoke, her voice carried a soft tremmor. "As well he should. He had been given several warnings regarding that seal. He disregarded them all and for that he lost our gr-" She stopped herself and closed her eyes, giving her head a slight shake as she changed her thought. "For that he lost so much more than the duel. If you expect me to feel sorry for him, I am afraid I will disappoint you. He has to deal wth this and overcome it if he is to corect his wrong."

"Forgive me if I seem to be speaking out of turn, but his guilt has transformed him. He has all but given up," Chris informed her. "Even now, he finds himself forced into a duel atop a speeding train."

"Forced? I don't understand."

"A young duelist corrupted by the dark power separated the train and the spirit from all but one of his friends," Ironheart explained. "His end of the train is speeding along the track and could very easily find itself derailing and plunging off the cliffside toward certain death."

All her disappointment and frustration fled from her at his words and she took a breath. "Can you take me to him?"

"I can take you a safe distance away in which you can watch out for his safety."

"If you can do that much, how is it you cannot help protect him, yourself?"

"I am limited in my abilities. You, Ms., are not."

"I understand. I am ready when you are."

A soft glimmer of light surrounded the three of them and Aurora closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she could see the train racing down the track. She nearly reeled back at the sudden anger she felt emanating from Yami's spirit. Whatever ws going on within that seal was stirring his anger in the worst way. She watched as he drew card after card, sending his monsters across the seal to strike his opponent. She could almost hear Téa shouting for Yami to end his attacks. Weevil dropped to his knees and fell face first to the top of the train and still the attacks came. There was a glistening on Yami's face that Aurora guessed were tears reflecting the sun's light. She tore her gaze away from him when she felt Chris touch her arm.

"What is it?" She gasped when her gaze followed the little girl's hand and saw the direction the train was going. Her eyes flew back to Yami, Téa, and Weevil's still body and realized with a start why she had been summoned. The train was headed off the cliff where it would make the deadly drop into the river at the bottom of the ravine. "_No!" _

Her eyes flashed white and her body grew taunt as a surge of pure Power rushed from her. The veins began to show as her skin took on an almost translucent appearance. Her hair whipped around her face as the wind swept around her. Lightning flashed out of the clear, blue sky, striking the ground around her feet. The Power had her in it's complete form and she lost all sight and sound. Chris and Ironheart watched as the train derailed and fell but the three young people on its top seemed to become encased in a bubble-ish light that surrounded them. They continued to fall, but the danger to their life had greatly been reduced. Without a word, Aurora seemed to lift off the ground and then shifted in the air to dive down after them. Ironheart and Chris followed. Aurora's eyes had returned to their lapis blue hue as her feet touched the ground. Looking around, she realized Weevil's body had somehow managed to disappear.

"The current must have swept him away," Ironheart said quietly as he and Chris prepared to care for Téa who had fallen haphazardly upon a fallen tree, striking her head just enough to cause a small trickle of blood to appear from the wound.

Aurora nodded to them, but said nothing as she knelt beside Yami's still body. He was drained, completely exhausted from his duel; from everything he had been put through. Part of her still wanted to feel angry with him for not listening to her, but the other part of her blamed herself for not keeping from Lord Theron the one thing he needed to make all of this possible. In her mind, they were both just as guilty for the recent events that had taken place. Carefully, she lifted his upper torso from the ground, cradling him gently. His eyes remained closed.

"They will need a place to rest."

"One can be arranged a short distance from here."

Aurora nodded before placing him gently back onto the ground. "Then we will make it so they can be comfortable enough to rest. They could be out for anywhere between fifteen minutes to several days depending on their energy level."

"If you want to get started, we will manage their transport," Ironheart assured her.

She gave him another nod, cast one last glance down at yami and then turned to make her way farther into the wooded area near the river. She never saw the brief glimmer that had begun to cover their position in the woods. She never heard the whispered words Ironheart chanted where he stood, but something deep inside her spirit told her that they would all be protected.

At least long enough for everyone to regain their strength once more.

* * *

**You know... I had always wondered how they managed to survive that accident... More to come later!**


	8. I Need You

**XD Hey, lookit me! I came back even quicker than last time! **

**This one will be going in a whole new direction, but I am sure over the course of the series, some of you saw this coming ;D**

**YGO and it's characters are not mine, I do not own. Aurora _IS_ mine, however, I own all rights to her and her friends. (_Man_ it feels good to be able to say that XD)**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
I Need You...**

Theron arched an eyebrow as two more faces appeared on Dartz's soul wall. He knew the two boys would fail in their endeavor, but it did not matter. In the end, it was all about the souls. Any souls would do as long as there were enough. On the other side of the room, he heard Dartz let out an enraged shout and turned in time to see the train plummet off the edge of the cliff.

"I need the Pharoa alive!"

"Are you so sure he is not?"

"His presence is gone."

"That young man is very well protected, I assure you, sir. He will be found alive."

"Protected?

Lord Theron's eyes darkened. "My enemies keep him guarded. He is alive. Just... out of sight for the moment."

"Not for long. Rafael!"

The doors slid open as the other man entered. "Yes, Master Dartz."

"You are going on a little trip. Head out to the where the train derailed and see if you can locate the Pharoah's. It is said he is still alive. If he is, I want to know exactly where he is." Dartz watched as the man bowed and left the room before turning back to Lord Theron. "You had better be correct about this. If not I will be taking your soul in his place."

"I am, but even if I weren't, taking my soul would do you no good. A Eudorian soul has no effect on the great beast no matter how powerful the soul is." Lord Theron's lip quirked in amusement as the galre left Dartz's eyes. "Be careful of whom you make your threats to. For I am older and I know your beast better. You'd do well to remember that."

* * *

Aurora crouched near the river's edge to rinse out several pieces of cloth she had torn from her duster-like dress in order to care for wounds both Yami and Téa sustained in the fall. She found herself glad to be wearing a supporting tank top and leggings under the duster as she looked down at the tattered remains. Standing, she dropped the cloths to the ground beside her and proceeded to shed her duster. A small twist and she was able to wrap it around her waist as if it were a half skirt. A quiet sigh left her lips as she leaned back against a nearby tree and closed her eyes. The sun felt good as it bathed her skin, but she still felt uneasy. 

Aurora's ears caught the sound of a wolf's bark near the tents that had been fashioned to house Yami and his friend while they rested. There was a startled shout from Téa and then Aurora heard Chris' soft and apologetic voice. She continued to listen as Téa began to giggle. Turning her back to the river, she watched the tent flaps open as Yam ducked his head out and stepped into the sunlight. He squinted and brought a hand to his eyes to block the sudden light as he looked around. He stopped when his eyes met hers and they stared at each other for a moment, broken only when Téa exited the tent.

Aurora turned back to the river and idly listened to the chatter behind her as Chris explained a few things to them and Yami admitted that he was no longer worthy of holding his guardian dragon. She could almost feel his guilt in his words when he spoke. She wanted to do anythingto take it all away, but she knew there was nothing she could do but let him follow his path.

"I think I need a little more rest," Téa said through a yawn as she stretched later that night. She said her good nights and returned to her bed in the tent. Chris and Ironheart left soon after, leaving Yami alone by the fire.

She studied his profile in the fading sunlight. She never once joined them by the fire. She, instead, remained where she had started out her day, by the river. Her cover was to be that she was keeping her watch in case anyone came looking for Yami. No one questioned her. She preferred it that way. Her eyes lingered just a few moments longer on his solemn face before she turned and made her way toward the river's edge once more. There, she climbed upon a small ledge, closed her eyes and dove cleanly into the river. The cool water struck her with a shock, but she continued to swim, fighting the current just to work herself harder. When her head broke the surface, she took in a gulp of air and brought her hands up to brush her wet hair away from her face. It was not exactly a shower, but it was good enough.

"Aurora... was I really a slave to the darkness? Was I an evil king?"

She gasped and spun to face the shore. Sitting near the bank, Yami stared down into the water. His voice sounded so broken, her heart felt near to shattering. She swallowed hard, completely at a loss for words. Aurora knew what he was asking for, but she was not so sure she could give him the answers he was seeking. Not this time. But when he looked up from the water and stared over at her. She sighed and moved to climb out of the river, quietly sitting down beside him._  
_

"No, Yami," she finally whispered, her eyes down at the ground as they clouded over with her memories of the past. "No, you were never an evil king. You were a fair and just king. You must never lose sight of that."

"I failed everyone. I failed you. I failed Yugi..."

Her jaw clenched tightly. "Anyone could have just as easily fallen to the Seal's power, Yami. It's seductive in such a way that most have no idea it's happened until after their soul is gone."

"I don't think I can do this, Aurora. I failed him and then I was ready and perfectly willing to kill Weevil. I can feel the darkness in me rearing up. It's wanting to sink its claws into me."

"Then you must fight it, Yami." She swallowed hard again and took the chance to look over at him. "If you give up this fight, then you really _will_ fail everyone, and Yugi will remain lost forever. I know you can't want that fate for Yugi. He did what he did because he knew you could succeed. He knew you could do what was needed. He had faith in you even after you fell to that darkness."

"Timaeus has turned his back on me as well. I disrespected my deck in the worst way-"

"Yami, stop this. Feeling sorry for yourself will get you no where." Aurora shook her head. "Timaeus will return to you if you can make good with him. Bring peace within yourself. Apologize and promise to him that you will remain in control. He will test you, but he will return to you." Daringly, she reached out and placed her hand upon his chest. "Keep the light in your heart, Yami. Everything will be as it needs to be."

Yami's eyes closed and he lifted his hand to cover hers. Her skin was cool from the cold waters, and his mind drifted to the almost delicate look in her appearance. She seemed to glimmer in the moonlight, and her normally deep blue eyes appeared almost black in the absence of the light. She was mystical in so many ways. But above all this, he was amazed at how her words could strike him the way they had. They cleared his head and made him realize she spoke the truth. For a moment, she seemed to come right out of a vision of his past. He could almost see her wearing the clothing of an Egyptian Royal.

"Aurora..."

"Yes?" She froze when he stretched out a hand to touch her cheek. "Yami..."

"Shh, please..."

"No, please don't..."

"Aurora-"

"Don't do this, please..."

"Aurora..."

Her breath quickened and her eyes lowered. The tone in his voice... It had been so long since she had heard that sound. Her heart wrenched at his plea. She wanted so badly to give him the comfort he was seeking. Still, she knew she should not allow him to get much closer. Gently, she reached up with her free hand and placed it upon the wrist of the hand touching her face. "Please, Yami... I ... we..."

"Aurora, I miss you."

"You barely remember me."

"You seem to know me better than anyone. You know just what to say and when to say it."

"Not always."

"Without him... without Yugi, I feel so alone."

"You are not alone, Yami. I am here, Téa is here. You are far from alone..." Her voice trailed when she realized he had somehow managed to move closer to her.

"But the loneliness still remains. I am missing something else. I _need_ something else..." His eyes drifted and half closed as he leaned closer, his lips barley brushing hers as he spoke again in a soft whisper. "I need you..."

She moved her hands to grip his upper arms in an attempt to hold him back. Her gasp was cut off when his lips took hers, gentle at first, but quickly becoming searing. So much passion could be felt within the kiss. Aurora no longer felt the chill of the night. Her skin felt more like fire as he pulled her even closer to him. His fingers reached up an threaded themselves through the silken strands of her hair. Against all reason, she returned the kiss. All the emotions she had kept bottled up over the years threatened to overwhelm her as she felt herself quickly succombing to his every touch. Her heart pounded as he wrapped his arms securely around her. A moan was muffled between their kiss as she shuddered under the force of her own pent up need. She held tighter to him as he shifted to lay her back upon the soft earth. He whispered her name as his lips explored her neck and shoulders, earning another whimpered moan from her.

Her breath quickened and a part of her min shouted for her to stop what was happening. But as his lips trailedover her skin, she found herself transported back to a different time. A time when he was the king sharing the night with his queen. The touch and kiss she once thought she would never feel again, continued to sweep over her with the ease of a skilled lover. In her mind... it was as if he had never been dead. She heard her name whispered again between kisses and the last of her reservations fell away.

* * *

Across the camp, Téa's eyes fluttered open. She was not sure what had woken her, but she did not feel much like going back to sleep. So much had happened that had left her mind racing. She needed to talk to someone. She wanted to talk to Yami, but it was obvious from his change in personality that she was not going to get much out of him. Still, she could not help but want to try. 

"Yami?" She frowned when she received no answer. Sitting up on her cot, she looked over to see that Yami's cot had been undisturbed. "He must still be by the fire."

The cot creaked as she shifted and slid off the side. After checking her shoes for any possible critters, she slipped her feet into them and quietly padded her way toward the tent flap.

"Yami? Shouldn't you at least try to get-" Her eyes blinked when she did not see him by the fire. "Some... sleep..." She scanned the camp but could not see the tri-colored hair she had been so familiar with. "Where did he go?" Worried for her friend's safety, she cautiously began to wander the campsite. As a last result, she began to make her way toward the river.

Thoughts of Yami in the water flashed through her mind and she allowed herself a small, wistful smile. The smile faded slightly, though as she drew closer to the edge. She stopped walking and strained her ears as she thought she heard a moan. Listening more, she heard the sound again. Her heart froze and her throat suddenly felt dry. Her mind screamed to return to the tent, but her bod had a mind of its own as her feet began walking along the edge.

A whimpered gasp and a deep groan stopped her again as she came across a small clearing near the edge. She was far enough she could not make out much, but she was no fool. The moonlight gave just enough light to cast a shadow over two bodies clutching tightly against each other. They had remained partially clothed, but it was clear what Téa had stumbled across. She wanted to be sick. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. She wanted to strike at them both. She did the only thing her body seemed to allow her to do. She remained still and continued to watch through the tears forming in her eyes as the couple caught their breaths and the man gently eased away from his lover. It was all she could do to keep from screaming out in her anguish as Yami gazed down at Aurora with a look Téa always wished he would give her. Choking back a sob, she turned and ran back to camp.

* * *

**I tried to warn everyone that this version of Doma was going to be different... **

**Now... in past reviews I have had people ask me for this kind of certain situation to happen between the spirit and Aurora, and I always said it would never happen for select reasons. However, before someone snaps my head off for it, explanation is this: Little Yugi spirit is gone leaving the body to be completely the spirit's body. It's not _technically_ considered wrong, and anyone who has ever been through an extreme loss knows that most times, it's typical for one to reach out to find comfort in some similar way. It is how some people deal. Anyway... Now to prepare the next chapter... XD**


End file.
